An utterly-butterly perfectly crumbly tart shell filled with the richest and smoothest chocolate ganache, makes this chocolate tart recipe one for the books! While it is on the elaborate side, I promise you that your time and efforts will be worth it.
The type of pastry used to make the tart shells is called pâté sucrée which is basically a sweet, crumbly pastry that is used to make classic French tarts. This type of pastry pairs with the richness of this chocolate ganache filling more perfectly than the usual shortcrust pastry.
The chocolate is truly the star of this dish. Try to splurge and buy the best quality chocolate available at your local store. For this recipe I used couverture dark chocolate that was 64% rich in cocoa. Depending on the percentage of cocoa in the chocolate you are using, adjust the amount of sugar in the filling accordingly.
This recipe makes 4 mini-chocolate tartlets.
Ingredients for tart shell:
105g flour
40g icing sugar
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
71g cold unsalted butter, cubed
1.5 tsp egg yolk
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon ice cold water
Ingredients for filling:
127g dark chocolate (I used 64%)
150g fresh cream
5tbsp castor sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Ingredients for chantilly cream:
¼ cup heavy cream/non dairy whipping cream
15g icing sugar
1/4tsp vanilla
Method to prepare tart shell:
Place your bowl into the freezer for 15 minutes before preparing the crust so that the butter remains cold.
Sieve the flour, salt and icing sugar together into the cooled bowl. Do not skip this step or else your dough will not be smooth and homogenous.
Using your fingertips, rub the pieces of butter with the flour mixture in order to combine the two. You can alternatively use a food processor for this process.
Note: For the egg yolk- break one whole egg, separate the yolk into a separate small bowl. Whisk it thoroughly and then measure 1.5tsp.
In a separate small bowl, whisk together the water, egg yolk and vanilla essence. Set it aside.
Once the butter and flour mixture resembles a wet sand-like consistency, add in the egg yolk mixture and knead to form a dough.
Shape the dough into a round disc and wrap it in plastic wrap. Refrigerate the dough for about 1 hour (or up to 2 days if you want to make it ahead of time).
After 1 hour, remove the dough from the refrigerator and sandwich it between two large sheets of parchment paper. Using parchment paper instead of flour to prevent the dough from sticking ensures that your dough doesn’t dry out due to the addition of excess flour.
Using a rolling pin, roll the dough to 1/8th of an inch in thickness, starting from the centre and rolling away from you and rotating the dough 90° every few rolls to ensure even thickness. Do not overwork the pastry while rolling it.
Pick up your pastry using the rolling pin and spread it over your tart tins. Allow it to sink into the tins and cut off any excess pastry using a serrated knife.
Tuck the pastry into the corners of the mould and flatten it out using your fingers. Patch up any cracks using small bits of excess dough.
Use a fork and poke several holes in the base of the pastry to ensure that the hot air can escape while it bakes.
Freeze the tart shells for about 20 minutes until the dough is firm to touch.
Preheat your oven to 220C.
Remove the tart shells from the freezer and line them with a small sheet of parchment paper. Fill the lined shells with pie weights (you can also substitute the pie weights with rice or any type of beans).
Blind bake the tart shells at 220C for 15 minutes.
Remove the weights and the parchment paper. Then, bake the shells for another 15-20 minutes at 180C until they are golden brown in colour.
Place the baked tart shells (do not demould the shells from their tins) on a wire rack and allow to cool for at least 30 minutes.
Method to prepare chocolate filling:
Chop the chocolate using a serrated knife into small pieces. Set it aside.
In a medium saucepan, add the fresh cream and heat on a medium-low flame until it starts to simmer.
Once simmering, remove the fresh cream from the heat and add in the espresso powder. Stir to combine.
Next, add in the chopped chocolate and set it aside for 5 minutes. Using a whisk, mix the chocolate with the warm cream until well combined and no clumps of chocolate remain.
In a separate large bowl, whisk together the egg and sugar until the sugar has mostly dissolved and a homogenous mixture has formed.
Slowly pour a bit of the chocolate mixture into the egg mixture, whisking constantly, to temper.
Next, pour in the remaining chocolate mixture and whisk to combine.
Pass the chocolate mixture through a fine-meshed sieve to ensure it is smooth and lump-free.
Pour the strained chocolate mixture into the pre-baked tart shells and fill until the brim.
Bake the tarts for 20-25 minutes at 180C until the chocolate filling has set and appears glossy.
Carefully remove the tart from the oven and transfer to the wire rack to cool for at least 45 minutes.
Serve as is or top with a chantilly cream
These tarts remain fresh for 3 days when stored in an air-tight container at room temperature.
Method to prepare chantilly cream:
In a medium bowl, whip the cream until stiff peaks have formed.
Add in the vanilla essence and icing sugar and whisk until well combined.
Transfer the mixture into a piping bag and pipe thin lines on top of the cooled tarts.
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