I have, as of recently been experimenting with baking chocolate tarts. The first recipe I used was from the back of the Bellwether Farms creme fraiche wrapper.
Chocolate Tart
½ cup milk
7 ounces finely chopped bittersweet chocolate
1 large egg yolk
7.5 ounces Bellwether Farms crème fraîche
Lightly whip egg yolk with the crème fraîche and set aside. Bring milk to a boil, stirring continuously. Turn off heat and add chocolate to milk. Stir mixture until chocolate is completely melted. Slowly add egg and crème fraîche mixture to chocolate mixture and stir until thoroughly mixed. Place chocolate mix in 9-inch pastry shell and place in preheated oven at 325° oven for 25 minutes.Remove tart from oven and cool to room temperature. Chill in refrigerator for at least one hour before serving.
The second recipe was a pear and chocolate ganache tart.
Chocolate Pear Chocolate Tart
For the crust- 150 g flour- 20 g unsweetened cocoa powder- 85 g butter- 85 g sugar- a splash of milkFor the pears- 3 large ripe pears- 100 g sugarFor the ganache- 100 ml crème fleurette (whipping cream)- 150 g dark chocolate- 2 egg yolks- 40 g butter
Start out by making the chocolate crust. This is a twist on my mom's no-fail "pâte sablée", a gift of a recipe for which my gratitude shall shine eternally. In a food processor, mix the flour, the cocoa powder and the sugar. Add the butter, cut up in small pieces. Mix until you get coarse sand. Add a splash of milk and mix again. Pour the sandy dough into a pie pan (ideally non-stick with a removable bottom, otherwise butter the pan first), and use the heels of your hands and your fingers to spread and press the dough until it lines the whole pan.
Preheat the oven to 220°C (430°F). Cut out a circle of parchment paper to the size of your pie pan, put it on top of the dough, and spread baking marbles or dry beans over it. This is to prevent the crust from rising. Put the dough in the oven to bake for about 20 minutes, until it's cooked. It is a little hard to tell as you have baking marbles all over it, so you're just going to have to trust your guarding angel. Let cool, then remove the marbles and the parchment paper.
Prepare the pears : peel them, cut them into quarters and core them. Put them in a large saucepan, cover with water, sprinkle the sugar and bring to a slow boil. Cook for ten minutes, until the pears look translucent. Drain thoroughly.
Then comes my very favorite step, making the ganache filling. In a medium bowl, break up the chocolate in very small pieces. Set the egg yolks aside in a separate bowl, and dice up the butter. In a small saucepan, heat up the whipping cream until small bubbles start to form. Remove from heat. Add in the pieces of chocolate and stir with a fork until melted. Add in the yolks, and stir again thoroughly. Add the butter, mixing it in with the fork until no lumps remain. Marvel at the luscious chocolate cream you have created.
Assemble the tart : pour the ganache on the pie crust, and arrange the pear pieces on top. Carefully put the tart in the refrigerator for the ganache to firm up, a couple of hours should suffice. Take the tart out fifteen minutes before serving.
The third recipe was a caramel-chocolate tart that was adapted from the Gramercy Tavern's pastry chef, Claudia Fleming.
Chocolate Tart Dough: 1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick), at room temperature 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa 1 large egg yolk 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
Caramel Filling: 1/2 cup water 2 cups sugar 1/4 cup light corn syrup 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter 1/2 cup heavy cream 2 tablespoons creme fraiche
Chocolate Glaze: 1/2 cup heavy cream 3 1/2 ounces extra-bittersweet chocolate, chopped A pinch fine sea salt, such as fleur de sel
To prepare the tart dough, in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and confectioners' sugar until combined, about 1 minute. Add the cocoa and beat until incorporated. Add the egg yolk and vanilla and beat until smooth. Sift in the flour and beat on low speed until just combined. Scrape the dough onto a sheet of plastic wrap and form it into a disk. Wrap and chill until firm, about 1 hour, or up to 3 days. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. On a lightly floured surface, roll the tart dough 3/16-inch thick. Using a 2 1/2-inch round cutter, cut out 24 rounds of dough and press them into mini-muffin tins or 2 dozen 2-inch tart pans, trimming away any excess dough; prick the dough all over with a fork. Chill the tart shells for 20 minutes. Line the tart shells with foil and fill with dried beans, rice, or pie weights.
Bake for 15 minutes. Remove foil and weights and bake for 5 to 10 minutes longer or until the pastry looks dry and set. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Remove cooled shells from tart pans and transfer to a plate.
To prepare the filling, place the water in a large saucepan. Add the sugar and corn syrup and cook the mixture over medium-high heat, swirling the pan occasionally, until you have a dark amber caramel, about 10 minutes. Carefully whisk in the butter, cream, and creme fraiche (the mixture will hiss and bubble up so stand back), whisking until smooth. (The caramel can be made up to 5 days ahead and refrigerated). Divide the caramel among the tart shells while still warm (or reheat the caramel in the microwave or over low heat until it is pourable) and let sit until the caramel is set, at least 20 minutes.
To make the glaze, in a saucepan, bring the cream to a boil. Place the chocolate in a bowl. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate, add a pinch of sea salt, and let sit for 2 minutes, then whisk until smooth. Pour some of the glaze over each of the tarts while it is still warm. Let the glaze set at room temperature for at least 2 hours before serving.
Of the three tarts, the first was the best. However, the tart shell from the caramel chocolate tart was probably the best tasting shell, and very easy to make in the Kitchen Aid. But, unfortunately the tart itself tasted like a candy bar, I think, which was disappointing as it took all day to make. There was way too much caramel, but this may have been my fault for two reasons, first I adapted the recipe from small tartlets to one large tart, and second, I am just not all that fond of caramel.
But even my husband, the caramel lover felt that there was too much caramel. I felt particularly sorry for our guests, one of whom said "Wow, this is great, I think that I am going to throw up later." Definitely not the reaction I was hoping for.
