In our house chocolate is synonymous with father. Our main man loves everything chocolate. Preferably in the original unadulterated bar form, but relishes other delicacies as well. So on Father's Day, I oblige him with these tartlets.
I discover a tart recipe that does not include blind baking. Hurrah! Flo Braker, in my opinion, is a genius baker. I adapt her tart recipe. Much as I love making tarts, the process of lining small tart pans with foil and baking beans is laborious. So this recipe frees me from tart crust bondage!
The dough comes together easily in a food processor. Small balls of dough are pressed into tart pans. They bake while I make the chocolate ganache. Once the tarts have cooled, they filled with a few cherries. I use frozen cherries, defrosted and patted dry. Jarred ones would work as well. I haven't given fresh cherries a thought as it would mean a different taste quotient, as well the dreaded task of pitting them. Chocolate ganache is then spooned over the cherries. Tarts set in the fridge.. If it is a warm day, keep them in the fridge till you serve. You don't want the ganache to become soft and runny. I take them out of the fridge just before serving. They glisten with temptation!
CHOCOLATE CHERRY TARTS
Makes 15 tartlets
Dough
1 1/4 cup all purpose Flour
Pinch of Kosher Salt
2 heaped tablespoons Sugar
8 tablespoons cold Butter
1 Egg
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla
Chocolate Ganache
3 oz semisweet Chocolate chunks
1/4 cup heavy Cream
15-20 pitted Cherries
Icing Sugar
Place the flour, salt and sugar in the bowl of a food processor.
Whisk egg and vanilla in a bowl.
Cut the butter into thin slices.
Pulse flour a few times to mix.
Scatter butter over flour. Pulse mix till the flour resembles coarse panko breadcrumbs, between 10-15 pulses.
Add egg to flour with the processor running. Pulse till the dough comes together in a ball.
If you are making this by hand, use your fingertips to rub the butter into the flour till the mix resembles coarse panko breadcrumbs. Add egg to flour and pull dough together till you have a smooth ball.
Heat oven to 350F or 180C.
Break off a heaped teaspoon of dough and roll it into a ball. Place ball in a mini tart pan. Use your thumb to spread the dough all the way to the edge of the tart pan. You should have a thin shell. You might have to add or subtract dough as you work the tarts.
Place tart shells on a baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes. The tarts should be light golden.
Cool shells. Gently pop them out of the tart pans.
Make the chocolate ganache by placing chocolate chunks in a bowl.
Heat the cream till gently bubbling.
Pour cream over chocolate. Wait 10 seconds before whisking. Whisk till smooth and shiny.
Pat cherries dry to avoid any liquid at the bottom of the shells.
Place 2 cherries in each tart shell.
Spoon ganache over cherries, covering them.
Allow the tarts to set in the fridge.
Take them out just before serving.
Dust with icing sugar and enjoy!
The tarts look lumpy and rustic. They are delicious. They vanish into the chocolate lover's maw very fast!
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