Chocolateandpecantartlets Recipes

CHOCOLATE PECAN TART

Steps:

• To make the crust:
• Place the flour, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a food processor and pulse two or three times to combine. Add the butter and continue pulsing until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the water by drizzling about 1 tablespoon at a time, pulsing after each drizzle. Stop once the dough begins to come together.
• Transfer the dough to a board and use the heel of your hand or a pastry scraper to press it together. Pat into a disk approximately 6 inches in diameter, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours.
• On a lightly floured board, roll out the dough to a 13 to 14-inch circle, flouring the dough and board as necessary to keep it from sticking. Roll up the dough around the rolling pin and unroll it into the tart pan. Gently lift the edges to ease the dough into the corners of the pan, then push the dough down gently to be certain the dough around the sides is 1/4 inch thick. Use a paring knife to cut excess dough from the rim of the pan. If necessary, pat a bit of the dough trimmings into any thin spots. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
• Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 375degreesF. Place the tart pan on a baking sheet.
• Prick the bottom of the crust with a fork, line with aluminum foil or parchment paper, and fill with pie weights or dry beans. Bake for 15 minutes.
• Remove the parchment and weights, and continue to bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the crust is golden. Sprinkle the chopped chocolate evenly over the bottom of the crust and bake for an additional minute, just to melt the chocolate. Remove from the oven and use the back of a spoon or a small offset spatula to spread the chocolate in an even layer. Let cool on a rack while you prepare the filling. Raise the oven temperature to 400degreesF.
• To make the filling:
• In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar and water and stir over medium-low heat until the sugar dissolves. Increase the heat to medium-high and cook, without stirring, swirling the pan so the caramel colors evenly. If sugar crystals form on the sides of the pan, brush with a wet pastry brush. Test the color of the caramel by drizzling a few drops onto a white plate. When the color is medium to dark amber, remove from the heat. Slowly and carefully - it will bubble up - add the cream.
• Return the caramel to medium heat and cook for 3 minutes to thicken slightly, reducing the heat to medium-low if the caramel bubbles too much. Remove from the heat and cool for 15 minutes.
• Place the tart shell on a baking sheet.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the vanilla, egg, and yolk. Slowly whisk into the caramel. Stir in the melted butter, followed by the nuts and nibs, if using. Pour the filling into the prepared tart shell. The filling will come to the top of the shell. (If the crust has shrunk during baking, it may not hold all the filling.)
• Bake the tart for 15 minutes. Lower the oven temperature to 375degreesF and bake for an additional 15 minutes, or until the filling is set.
• Let cool on a rack for about 10 minutes. While still warm, move the tart in the pan to loosen the edges where the caramel has stuck, but keep it in the pan.
• Let cool completely before removing the tart ring.
• Serve each wedge of tart with a dollop of the cocoa whipped cream.
• Cocoa Whipped Cream:
• Place the cream in a chilled metal bowl or mixer bowl. With a whisk, or the whisk attachment, whip the cream until slightly frothy. Combine the sugar with the cocoa powder. Sprinkle into the cream and continue to whip until soft peaks form. Use immediately, or refrigerate for up to 1 hour.

ABSOLUTELY AWESOME CHOCOLATE & PECAN TARTLETS

Steps:

• PÂTE SUCRÉE (THE CRUST)
• Chef's Note: What is a Pâte sucrée? Pâte sucrée is the French term for a sweet short crust pastry used to make tarts. Pâte sucrée is similar to Pâte Brisée, though it has more calories due to the addition of sugar and is slightly less fragile.
• Cut the butter into cubes and keep very cool... cold, as a matter of fact.
• Separate two eggs, and keep the yolks.
• Chef's Tip: If you don't have a use for the whites, you can always freeze them and use them later. Waste not, want not.
• Gather the remainder of your ingredients.
• Place the flour, salt, and sugar in the bowl of a food processor, fitted with an S-Blade, and give it a couple of pulses to blend the dry ingredients.
• Add the cold butter cubes, and give it 5 or 6, 1-second pulses, until it resembles a course meal.
• Chef's Note: This method of doing a Pâte Sucrée is slightly different than the traditional method, but it helps to make a very flaky crust for the tartlets.
• Chef's Tip: If you want to perform this step another way, use a pastry blender or two knifes to cut the cold butter into the dry ingredients.
• Chef's Note: If you are using a food processor, remove the flour/butter from the mixer, and place in a large bowl. If you chose to use a pastry blender or two knifes, it should already be in a mixing bowl.
• Whisk the egg yolks and half & half together, and then stir them into the flour/butter mixture using a fork.
• Continue to gently mix until all the dry ingredients are incorporated.
• It should look something like this.
• Chef's Tip: You should see separate bits of butter along with the flour.
• Separate the dough into two round balls, and then flatten each one with the palm of your hand. Then tightly wrap each ball in cling foil, and place in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, or overnight.
• When ready, remove from refrigerator and place on a board lightly dusted with flour. You should have chunks of butter visible in the dough...
• Chef's Note: This recipe is designed for tartlets that are 4 inches (10cm). Each ball will make 6 tartlets.
• Roll out one of the balls, until about ¼ inch in thickness, and then use a 4 inch (10cm) biscuit cutter to cut six circles in the flattened dough.
• Place each round in a tartlet pan, push into the sides, and then add some chocolate chips to cover the bottom.
• Place in the refrigerator and allow them to cool while making the filling.
• THE PIE FILLING
• Place a rack in the middle position, and preheat to 350f (176c).
• Add the syrup, sugar, rum, flour and vanilla to a medium bowl, and lightly mix together.
• Add the eggs to a large mixing bowl and beat until foamy.
• Add the melted butter, and continue to beat.
• Add to the maple syrup mixture, and beat a bit more (lots of beating going on here).
• Finally, add the pecans, and stir to combine (what no more beating???)
• Add about ¼ cup of the mixture to each of the cooled tartlet shells, right over the chocolate. It should fill it to the top of the crust.
• Place into the preheated oven and bake for 35 minutes, or until the filling sets.
• Chef's Note: If you choose to bake this as a whole 9-inch tart, increase the baking to 55 minutes.
• Allow to completely cool on a wire rack before serving. Enjoy.
• Keep the faith, and keep cooking.

CHOCOLATE AND PECAN TARTLETS

Steps:

• Mix softened butter and cream cheese in a bowl until smooth. Blend in flour, a bit at a time, confectioners' sugar and 1/8 teaspoon salt. Form dough into a disk. Cover in plastic wrap; refrigerate at least 3 hours. Heat oven to 325°F. Divide dough into 24 balls; press into two 12-cup mini muffin tins, pushing dough up over edges. Refrigerate. Mix brown sugar, chocolate, egg, melted butter, vanilla and remaining 1/8 teaspoon salt in a bowl until combined. Divide half the pecans among muffin cups; top with brown sugar mixture; sprinkle remaining pecans on top. Bake 20 minutes or until dough is lightly golden around edges. Let sit 5 minutes. Run tip of knife around cup edges to loosen. Remove when cool enough to handle; transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

MILK CHOCOLATE-PECAN TARTLETS

Steps:

• Blend first 4 ingredients in processor until nuts are finely chopped. Using on/off turns, add butter; process until mixture resembles coarse meal. Mix yolk and 1 1/2 teaspoons cream in bowl. Add to flour mixture; process until moist clumps form. If dough is dry, add more cream by teaspoonfuls to moisten. Gather dough into ball. Flatten into disk. Wrap in plastic; chill 4 hours.
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray eighteen 3-inch tartlet pans with oil spray. Press 1 tablespoon dough onto bottom and up sides of each pan. Arrange tartlet pans on heavy large baking sheet. Bake until crusts are golden, piercing with fork if bubbles form, about 10 minutes. Transfer pans to rack; cool completely.
• Melt 9 ounces chocolate in top of double boiler over simmering water, stirring often. Remove from heat. Bring cream just to simmer in small saucepan. Pour hot cream into chocolate; stir until very smooth. Stir in chopped pecans. Transfer filling to small bowl. Cover; chill until filling is consistency of thick pudding, about 2 hours.
• Using small knife, loosen crusts from pans. Turn crusts out. Spread 1 teaspoon preserves in each crust. Spoon 1 tablespoon filling over. Garnish with nut halves and grated chocolate. Chill until filling is firm, about 1 hour. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; chill.) Serve cold.