Chocolate Tartlets Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray 5 (4 1/2-inch) tartlet pans with nonstick spray.
• Divide the cookie dough into 5 equal-sized balls. Press each dough ball into the tartlet pans; making sure it covers the sides and bottoms. Put the pans on a cookie sheet and bake until golden, about 15 to 18 minutes. Remove the pans from the oven and let cool completely. Turn the oven down to 325 degrees F.
• Put the chopped chocolate into a bowl. Add the heavy cream to a small saucepan over low heat. Bring the cream up to a low simmer. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate. Stir or whisk the chocolate and cream until smooth and melted. Stir in the corn syrup, sugar, and salt. Whisk in the beaten egg. Ladle the filling into the cooled tart shells and bake until the filling is set and the surface is glossy, about 15 to18 minutes. Remove the tartlets from the oven and let cool. Garnish with whipped cream and chocolate shavings and serve.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out dough to an 1/8-inch thickness. With a 3 1/2-inch cookie cutter, cut dough into 24 rounds (reroll scraps if necessary), then press into 24 standard muffin cups (dough should come 3/4 inch up sides). Freeze until firm, 10 minutes (or up to 1 day).
• Bake until shells are golden, 18 minutes. Let cool completely in pan.
• In a medium heatproof bowl, combine chocolate and 1/2 teaspoon salt. In a small saucepan, bring cream to a bare simmer over medium-high. Immediately pour over chocolate, add vanilla, and let sit 1 minute. Stir gently until mixture is completely smooth. Pour chocolate into cooled shells and refrigerate until set, 20 minutes. To serve, sprinkle with coarse salt.

Steps:

• Roll out into a 12-inch circle: 1 disk of Sweet Tart Dough (page 183).
• Lightly prick the dough with a fork. Cut six 5-inch circles (for 4-inch tartlets) or eighteen 2-inch circles (for 1 1/2-inch tartlets). Transfer the rounds to 4-or 1 1/2-inch tartlet pans and press the dough into the pans. Cut off the excess dough by rubbing your thumb across the top edge of the pan. Press the sides in and up after trimming the dough. Patch any holes or cracks with a bit of extra dough. Let the tartlet shells rest in the freezer for at least 10 minutes. Prebake the shells in a 350°F oven for 15 minutes, or until they are an even light golden brown. Check the pastry halfway through the cooking and pat down any bubbles that may have formed. Let cool and then unmold.
• For the ganache, put into a medium heat-proof bowl: 6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped.
• Heat just until boiling: 1 cup heavy cream.
• Pour over the chocolate and let sit for 30 seconds. Stir until the chocolate is melted, but do not over-stir or the filling will develop bubbles. Pour into the tartlet shells while it is still quite warm and liquid, very gently tapping and jiggling the pastry shells to even out the filling. Let sit at room temperature for at least an hour to set.
• This recipe will also make one big tart. Line an 9-inch tart pan with the dough, prebake, and fill with the ganache as above.
• Add 2 teaspoons Cognac, brandy, or rum to the chocolate with the hot cream.
• Serve with whipped cream; a border of whipped cream piped around the edge is pretty.