Mauro Colagreco’s Baby Fava Bean Tartlet | Stars At Home

Capturing Late-Spring Freshness

For chefs looking to translate garden-grown freshness directly onto the plate, Mauro Colagreco’s baby fava bean and pistachio tartlet offers a masterclass in seasonal simplicity. Developed at Three MICHELIN Star Mirazur, this dish centres on the short window of late spring and early summer when baby fava beans (broad beans) are at their most tender. Rather than masking their delicate, milky flavour with heavy reductions or complex fats, Colagreco uses a clean, focused approach that celebrates the ingredient in its purest state.

The preparation begins with meticulous sourcing and prep. At this young stage, the skins of the fava beans are tender enough to require minimal intervention, though larger pods must be double-shelled to reveal the vibrant green cotyledons inside. Chefs will note how this labour-intensive prep is offset by the visual impact and refined mouthfeel of the final dish, making it an excellent option for high-end tasting menus.

Balancing Textures and Flavours

The pairing of baby fava beans with pistachio introduces a clever play on green profiles. While the beans offer a fresh, vegetal sweetness, the pistachio provides a contrasting fat profile and a dense, nutty texture. When executing this tartlet, the goal is to build layers of texture within a delicate, crisp pastry shell. The richness of the nut base forms a stable foundation that holds the soft, raw, or lightly blanched beans in place.

Maintaining the bright green colour of both components is critical to the dish's aesthetic success. Over-processing the pistachios or overcooking the fava beans will quickly lead to a dull, unappetising grey-green hue. To avoid this, keep cooking times to an absolute minimum and plunge the blanched beans immediately into an ice bathIce BathA mixture of ice and cold water used to rapidly cool cooked food. to lock in their natural colour.

Service and Assembly Notes

Because this tartlet relies heavily on the moisture levels of fresh beans, timing is everything during service. Assembly must happen close to the moment of plating to prevent the crisp pastry base from absorbing moisture and turning soggy. The finished tartlet should be presented as a celebration of the kitchen garden—clean, structured, and vibrant.