Bittersweet Chocolate Tartlets |
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Prep Time: 0 Minutes Cook Time: 30 Minutes |
Ready In: 30 Minutes Servings: 8 |
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A melted-butter shortbread crust surrounding a soft, creamy chocolate center puts this over the top. Because the tart crust is whipped up in a bowl and pressed into the tin, there's no need for chilling and rolling out a dough, yet the crust is as buttery-rich and crumbly as any I've tried. Ingredients:
makes (8) 4-in tartlets or about (24) 2-in mini tartlets |
crust |
1/4 cup sugar |
8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, melted |
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract |
1 cup all-purpose flour |
1/8 teaspoon salt |
filling |
2 tablespoons sugar |
1 cup cream |
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate (between 50% to 60%), chopped |
1 large egg |
Directions:
1. Adapted from Alice Medrich's BIttersweet
2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, combine the melted butter, sugar, vanilla, salt, and flour. Mix until just blended. The dough will be very soft and moist.
3. Gently press the dough into tartlet pans. Medrich calls for (8) 4-in wide by 3/4-in deep fluted tarlet pans. I used a mini muffin tin with (24) 2-in wide by 3/4-in deep cups. Press in the dough as thinly as possible.
4. Place pans in the oven and bake for about 15 to 20 minutes until the crusts are golden brown (they should be fully baked).
5. While the tartlet shells are baking, heat the cream and sugar in a small saucepan to boiling. Pour over the chopped chocolate and whisk together until combined.
6. Whisk the egg into the chocolate mixture right before the shells are finished baking.
7. Remove shells from the oven and turn off the oven. Pour the filling into the shells. Return the tartlets to the oven and leave them there for about 5 to 10 minutes, or when the filling is just beginning to set about the edges.
8. Place tartlets on a wire rack to cool. If you used individual tartlet pans with removable bottoms the tartlets should be fairly easy to unmold. If you used a muffin tin like me you may have a more difficult time unmolding them, especially if the shells are very thin. If the filling has completely set, you can try placing a sheet pan across the top of tin and flipping it over to unmold them.
9. Just before serving, sprinkle toppings of your choice on the tartlets, such as: cocoa nibs, chopped nuts, dried cherries, anise seed, chili powder.
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