The Laminated Luxury Series — No. 5 of 8
The croissant tart is the series at its most unexpected. The laminated dough is not rolled and shaped — it is pressed into a tart ring, where it bakes into a shell of extraordinary crunch and layering. The filling is a rose-lychee mousse: pale pink, intensely floral, with the delicate sweetness of lychee running beneath the rose like a second perfume.
Crystallised rose petals and lychee pearls finish it. This is the most feminine pastry in the series — and one of the most technically precise.
Chef’s Note
Rose water is assertive. A heavy hand turns this mousse into soap. Use 1 teaspoon maximum and taste before adding more — the rose should be present but not dominant. The lychee provides the sweetness; the rose provides the fragrance. They are partners, not rivals.
The croissant shell must be blind-baked with weights before filling. Without this step, the base will puff and buckle, leaving no room for the mousse.
Ingredients
The Croissant Tart Shell
- 500g strong bread flour
- 10g fine sea salt
- 80g caster sugar
- 10g instant yeast
- 300ml whole milk, cold
- 30g unsalted butter, softened
- 280g European-style unsalted butter (84% fat), cold — for lamination
Rose-Lychee Mousse
- 400g canned lychees, drained (reserve 80ml syrup)
- 1 tsp rose water
- 3 leaves platinum-grade gelatine, bloomed in cold water
- 250ml double cream, whipped to soft peaks
- 2 tbsp icing sugar
- 1–2 drops natural pink food colouring (optional)
To Finish
- Fresh rose petals, crystallised with egg white and caster sugar
- 6–8 lychees, halved
- Edible gold dust
Method
Laminate the dough over two days. Line a 20cm tart ring with the rolled dough to 4mm, blind bake at 185°C (fan) with weights for 18 minutes, then a further 8 minutes uncovered. Cool completely. Blend lychees with reserved syrup, sieve, dissolve bloomed gelatine in warmed purée, combine with rose water and icing sugar. Cool to light gel stage, then fold in whipped cream. Pour into the cooled shell. Refrigerate 3 hours minimum. Top with lychees, crystallised petals, and gold dust before serving.
The Laminated Luxury Series
← No. 4 — Black Sesame Paris-Brest | You are reading No. 5 — Rose & Lychee Croissant Tart
Next: No. 6 — Cardamom & Burnt Caramel Cruffin →
🖤 Want All 8 Recipes in One Place?
The complete Laminated Luxury Series — all 8 Michelin-level croissant recipes, technique notes, plating guides, and photography direction — is available as a premium recipe collection in our shop.
