cream tart and chocolate tart

Never mind that the dough is chocolate in these pictures. The process is the same.

 

Fruit and Cream Mini-Tarts

 

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These shortbread-crusted tarts are filled with a light, creamy custard and topped with fresh fruit of your choice.

Author: Paula

Serves: 13-14 tarts

Ingredients

Tart Crust:

• 1-1/2 cups unbleached flour
• ⅓ cup powdered sugar
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup butter (1 stick), chilled
• 1 egg yolk (from a large egg)
• 1 tablespoon heavy cream

Cream Filling:

• 2-3/4 cups milk (I use 2-1/2 cups nonfat milk + ¼ cup whipping cream but any type will work)
• ⅔ cup sugar
• ¼ cup cornstarch
• ⅛ teaspoon salt
• 4 egg yolks
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Glaze

• ¼ cup currant jelly

Instructions

Crust:

1. Combine flour, sugar and salt in food processor. Cut butter into 8 slices and add to flour, pulsing several times until mixture resembles oatmeal. Add egg yolk mixed with cream. Pulse until all ingredients are moistened. Then allow machine to run a few seconds until dough starts to stick together. (Add additional drops of cream if dough seems too dry.) Press dough into a roll like refrigerated cookie dough. Wrap in plastic and chill 30 minutes.
2. Spray molds generously with Baker's Secret or something like it. (Baker's Secret is an aerosol spray that mixes flour and oil.) If using silicone molds, no greasing is necessary.
3. Slice roll of dough into 12 pieces. Using a rolling pin, roll dough between two pieces of plastic wrap into a circle slightly larger than tart molds. Press into mold with fingers being careful to keep thickness consistent. Use a knife to trim off any extra at the top. I usually have enough scraps to make another tart or two. Freeze for at least 30 minutes, overnight or up to a month.
4. Place frozen tart shells on cookie sheet and press a small square of foil down into each crust that molds to shape of crust. See picture above. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes. Remove foil and continue to bake until golden brown, usually about 3-4 minutes.

Cream Filling:

1. Add milk, sugar, cornstarch, salt, and egg yolks, (in that order) to blender. Blend 5 seconds and pour into 2-quart glass microwave-safe bowl. Microwave 6 minutes on HIGH, whisking until smooth after 3 minutes, then every minute thereafter.
2. Add butter and vanilla and whisk until smooth.

Assembly:

1. Fill each baked tart shell with cream filling. Top with fruit of your choice. Melt ¼ cup currant jelly and use a brush to dab some shininess on each piece of fruit. It's OK if some drips onto the cream.

Notes

1. If dough in food processor seems too dry to press into a ball, add a teaspoon or two of milk or cream. 2. Tarts are best eaten the day they are assembled. 3. A dollop of whip cream makes these even better.   

Top with a raspberry, strawberry, cherry or other fruit of your choice. Whipped cream isn’t bad either.

Unlike tart shells with a cooked cream filling, shells filled with ganache can be prepared 2-3 days ahead.

Garnish the top with whipped cream and chocolate curls or shavings. Or make it simple. Use fresh fruit to add color and interest. Either of these should be added at the last minute.

Chocolate Ganache Mini-Tarts

 

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Author: Crust by Paula, Filling adapted from Baking by Dorie Greenspan

Serves: 13 tarts

Ingredients

Chocolate Crust

• 1-1/4 cup unbleached flour
• ¼ cup dark, unsweetened cocoa
• ½ cup powdered sugar
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup cold butter
• 1 large egg

Chocolate Ganache Filling

• 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate
• ½ cup heavy cream (or whipping cream)
• 2 tablespoons soft butter

Instructions

Chocolate Crust

1. Add first four ingredients to a food processor and pulse until well blended.
2. Cut butter into 8 pieces. Add to dry ingredients and pulse until mixture looks like oatmeal.
3. Use fork to break up and mix egg, then pour it all at once into the food processor bowl. Pulse 5-6 times to begin to moisten mixture. Let machine run steadily for a few seconds. Watch carefully until mixture begins to stick together and starts to form a ball. Machine will make a different sound as this happens.
4. Press dough into a cylinder (like a roll of refrigerated cookie dough), cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate at least 30-45 minutes or up to a week.
5. When ready to make crusts, cut cylinder into 12 equal slices. I usually end of with 13 tarts because I roll all the scraps together to make the 13th shell.
6. Roll each slice between plastic wrap until just slightly larger around than tart shell. Dough should be just shy of ¼ inch thick and a consistent thickness throughout. This can be a little tricky at first. Practice makes perfect.
7. Cover and freeze mini-tart shells until rock hard.
8. Place tart shells onto a cookie sheet. Cover the inside of each tart with foil pressed to fit down inside. Bake in preheated 400 degrees F oven for 10 minutes. Remove the foil and bake 2-3 more minutes.
9. Cool for 5 minutes. Remove crust from pan or mold. Fill when completely cool.

Chocolate Ganache Filling

1. Chop chocolate and place into a deep bowl.
2. Heat cream just until it starts to boil, then pour over chocolate and let sit for several minutes until chocolate has melted.
3. Use a whisk or spoon to begin stirring in lazy circles starting from the middle until mixture is uniform. Don't go crazy stirring or chocolate will lose its beautiful gloss. A gentle motion is good.
4. Add butter in small pieces and continue mixing gently until ganache is once again uniform.
5. Mixture should be thick enough to go straight into the crusts, but if runny, refrigerate for a few minutes until it thickens.

Assembly

1. Chill tarts until ready to serve. Remove 30 minutes before serving to allow filling to soften a bit. Garnish with fruit or whipped cream.

Notes

Crust dough may be stored, well-wrapped, in the refrigerator one week. Or store in the freezer for 6 months. I prefer to freeze the raw tart shells and bake the day I want to serve them for maximum freshness with last-minute convenience. Ganache may be made ahead and stored in the refrigerator. Warm very gently. I put it in a small bowl inside a larger bowl partially filled with hot water until it softens enough to spoon into baked crusts. Re-chill before serving.