Raspberries work well - but other berries can also be used like strawberries, blueberries or blackberries. There has been a shortage of raspberries in Los Angeles for the past week. That is why this pretty photo is place holding for the finished tart photo. I hope you make this delicious tart (and use the berry of your choice) please post your photo.
Hello Bakers,
The companion recipe to today's Ingredient Function Friday is a chocolate pate sucree made with dutch process cocoa powder. It makes enough dough for a 9" - 11" tart. If you make a 9" you will have a little dough let to roll out for cookies. This recipe has a little almond meal in it which makes it stable and adds a buttery almond flavor.
Please watch the episode on cocoa powder. Click on the "Ingredient Function Friday" tab at the top of the page. Cocoa can be a challenging ingredient and what you need to know is covered in the clip. I hope you enjoy making this tart - it's a great excuse to break that tart pan out of the cupboard. The white chocolate pastry cream is delicious. There are two video tutorials on pastry cream in the recipe - there are a few points in the process where it can be challenging - but if you read through the recipe and then watch the clips it will become very clear.
Of course, if you have any questions, let me know.
Happy Baking! Colette
Chocolate Almond Tart Dough (Yield) 1 9" - 11" tart or several mini tartlets - amount varies on the size if your pan.
Equipment: Stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, spatula, sifter or strainer
Ingredients:
Chocolate tart dough mise en place
- 223g All purpose flour
- 28g Dutch process cocoa powder
- 1/4 teaspoon Fine sea salt
- 113g Unsalted butter
- 85g Powdered sugar
- 28g Almond flour (meal)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 egg
- Sift together flour, cocoa powder and salt together 2 times.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine butter, powdered sugar and vanilla. Beat on low speed for 1 minute and then medium for 2 - it should look smooth.
Smooth and still yellow in color - do not overmix
3. Add egg and mix for 1 minute on low speed and 2 minutes on medium speed.
Egg is added - scrape down
4. Add sifted dry ingredients all at once. Mix on low speed just until the flour disappears. Stop the mixer and scrape down if necessary. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for a minimum of 2 hours or overnight.
Chocolate pie dough - ready to chill out in the refrigerator.
Pastry Cream
Equipment: Medium saucepan, scale, whisk, spatula, 2 bowls, 1/4 sheet tray lined with plastic wrap or ice bath for cooling down the pastry cream.
- 13 oz milk (369g) (milk #1)
- 2 tsp.vanilla extract
- 2 oz sugar (57g)
- 1.5 oz. cornstarch (43g)
- 2 oz sugar (57g)
- 3 ounces milk (85g) (milk #2)
- 4 egg yolks
- 1 oz butter, soft (28g)
- 4 ounces, (113g) white chocolate chip or chopped white chocolate
- There are two amounts of sugar and milk #1 in this recipe, this is correct. Separate them.
- Place milk in saucepan and pour in most of the vanilla/sugar mixture.
- Bring the mixture to a low and boil.
- While milk is heating, combine the cornstarch and remaining sugar together, add milk #2 and egg yolks.
5. Temper in half the hot milk and then quickly pour the egg/milk mixture back into the pot.
6. Using the whisk as spoon stir gently over medium heat and then as the mixture thickens – and whisk until smooth.
7. Remove from heat. Add the butter and the white chocolate.
8. Pour on to lined sheet tray or place bowl on top of ice bath. Keep plastic wrap on the surface of the pastry cream. If cooling over an ice bath make sure that your stir it every few minutes so that it cools down more quickly.
Finishing the Tart.
Components: Chocolate tart dough, 4 ounces white chocolate to be melted and spread on the bottom of the baked tart shell, pastry cream, 3 1/2 pints raspberries, blackberries, strawberries or blueberries. Apricot glaze:
4 ounces (114 g) apricot jam, thinned, warmed
• Stand mixer with paddle attachment, or bowl and handheld mixer with beaters
and strained (Extra strained jam can be stored in Ingredients
• 4 ounces (114 g) almond paste • 3 ounces (85 g) sugar
• 3 ounces (85 g) unsalted butter • 2 eggs
1. Combine the pears, wine, sugar, and chosen
spices in a saucepan. Add enough water to cover
the pears and spices. Method
the refrigerator for future use)
- Roll out and bake the crust. Take the dough out of the refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature for 5 - 7 minutes to warm up. Sprinkle the work surface with flour, place dough on floured surface, sprinkle with flour and roll until the dough is about 1/8" thick. Give the dough a 1/4 turn every time you roll back and forth and make sure it is not sticking. It needs to be able to move at all times. Once the dough is rolled out, use the rolling pin to lift it up and over the pan, drop the dough over the pan and then carefully press the dough into the pan. The dough needs to be right up against the side of the pan. Remove any excess dough off the top with your thumb. Wrap and chill dough for 2 hours or overnight. A 9" tart pan fits into a gallon size Ziploc bag. I am all about using less plastic and reuse my ziplocs until they can no longer be used.
Rolling out dough, the beginning
This is how it should look before dropping it into the pan.
In the pan.
After chilling line the tart pan with a half sheet of parchment paper that has been crumbled up (this helps it conform to the dough) and fill with your baking beans. Then bake at 350 degrees for 22-25 minutes (place tart on a baking sheet) - check to make sure the sides are baked and then take the tart out of the oven, remove the beans and then put the tart back in the oven for 8-10 minutes to finish baking. The crust should look opaque and fully baked.
Once tart is cooled, melt 3 ounces of white chocolate and the spread onto the bottom of the tart pan. This will act as a moisture barrier. A thin layer of raspberry jam can also be used.
White chocolate painted bottom
Then remove pastry cream from refrigerator, place in the mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and soften the pastry cream on low speed for 1 minute, then medium speed for 90 seconds. try not to over mix because the pastry cream can become too loose. It can also be softened in a bowl with a spatula. Spread on top of white chocolate - it should fill the tart.
Tart filled with white chocolate pastry cream
Decorate with raspberries (if they are available) or strawberries, blueberries, or blackberries. Then brush with apricot glaze made by: heating 6 ounces of apricot jam with 2 ounces of water until it comes to a boil, reduce to a simmer and let it liquify. Then cook gently until it has a light glaze consistency, strain and use. Leftover glaze can be stored in the refrigerator for several months.
Once filled with pastry cream the tart needs to be refrigerated.