Milk Chocolate Tarts

From issue #5.
Photography by Photography by Aaron McLean.
Milk Chocolate Tarts

Serves: 6

INGREDIENTS

Chocolate Pastry
120g unsalted butter, softened
½ cup icing sugar
1 large egg yolk
1 cup flour
3 tablespoons Dutch cocoa

Filling
200g milk chocolate
350ml cream

To serve
shaved or grated milk chocolate
softly whipped cream

METHOD

Pastry: Preheat the oven to 190°C.

Beat the butter and icing sugar together just until combined. Add the egg yolk and beat until well combined. Sift in the flour and cocoa and beat until the mixture comes together. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and form into 6 small discs. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm. Roll out and line 6 x 10 cm tins. Place in the freezer for ½ an hour. Bake blind* for 10 minutes, remove the baking beans and continue to bake until the base is cooked. Set aside to cool.

Filling: Melt the chocolate in 100mls of the cream in a double boiler. Set aside to cool. Beat in the remaining cream until thickened and smooth. Pour into the cooled tart shells. Refrigerate until the filling is firm.

To serve: Top with plenty of grated chocolate and serve with a dollop of whipped cream. Serves 6

Note: This recipe will also make one 28cm tart.

*To ‘bake blind’: line a prepared pastry case with baking paper and fill with pie weights or dried beans. The beans support the pastry as it cooks. Bake in a preheated 190ºC oven for 10 minutes before removing the paper and weights. The shell should now have taken form so reduce the temperature to 175ºC and continue baking until completely cooked and golden.

Dutch Cocoa: a rich, dark, high quality cocoa with added alkali to neutralize the cocoa’s natural acidity.