How Mauro Colagreco Makes His Baby Fava Bean Tartlet | Stars at Home

Mauro Colagreco's baby fava bean tartlet offers a masterclass in hyper-seasonal, zero-waste cooking directly from the gardens of Mirazur. Rather than hiding the natural textures of spring produce under heavy techniques, this dish focuses on highlighting raw, crisp young fava beans. For professional kitchens, it provides an adaptable blueprint for translating garden-to-table philosophies into refined garde manger work.\n\n## Precision Pastry Technique\nThe foundation of this dish is a crisp, light pastry shell that balances fat and protein to maintain structural integrity. Colagreco uses a combination of 200g fine pastry flour (T45), 30g softened butter, 30g sunflower oil, and 80g egg whites. Substituting egg whites for whole eggs or yolks ensures a clean, crisp snap without a rich, heavy finish, while the blend of butter and sunflower oil provides both short texture and structural strength. This allows the shell to remain exceptionally thin and hold the moist goat cheese filling without immediately softening on the pass.\n\n## Zero-Waste Prep and Seasoning\nColagreco's approach to the baby fava beans shows a commitment to kitchen efficiency. Out of 500g of baby fava beans, the pristine outer slices are reserved for the top of the tartlet. The remaining bean trimmings are split between the goat cheese filling and the pistachio condiment.\n\nTo make the filling, blend 30g of the bean trimmings with 250g of fresh goat cheese, 50g of cream, and seasoning. This incorporates a fresh, green undertone directly into the rich, acidic cheese base. The remaining 50g of trimmings are blended with 50g of roasted pistachios, 10g of olive oil, and 20g of lemon juice to create a coarse, vibrant condiment. This paste is layered at the bottom of the tartlet shell, providing a nutty, acidic contrast to the creamy cheese and sweet, raw fava bean slices arranged on top.\n\n## Kitchen Adaptation and Service\nThis dish is highly adaptable, allowing chefs to work with what is available in their local microclimate. If baby fava beans are out of seasonSeasonTo add salt, acidity, herbs, spices or other flavouring to balance and enhance a dish. or unavailable, the recipe transitions easily to fresh garden peas or tender young broad beans. For the final touch, thyme flowers can be swapped for mint, tarragon, or basil, altering the herbal profile to suit the menu. It functions as a delicate starter or a clean, modern addition to a tasting menu.