Dark Chocolate Crémeux Tarts
I made these Dark Chocolate Crémeux Tarts topped with dried rose petals and fleur de sel for my Valentine and photographer husband Dan. (Of course I made him take these pictures so it was a gift with strings attached. But really, are there any gifts that don't have at least a tiny bit of string?)
Pâte sucrée is one of my favorite pastries to make, there’s something therapeutic about rolling out the dough and satisfying when the the tarts come out of the oven proudly holding their shape. Plus, it’s delicious since it's essentially a buttery shortbread with an egg mixed in to hold it together... and made even better when filled with creamy chocolate.
It's up to you how you'd like to decorate the tarts. Feel free to make them you're own! I chose salt to cut the richness a bit and the rose petals because they were for Valentine's Day. I was actually surprised how nicely they complimented the chocolate. They also keep nicely for quite a while if you keep them store them airtight container.
Photos by Daniel Marks
Dark Chocolate Crémeux Tarts Recipe
Yield:
6 - 8 tarts depending on the size of your mini tart pans.
Difficulty:
Moderate
Special Equipment:
6, approximately 4-inch tart pans (3-inch work too, you'll just get more tarts!)
Digital thermometer, optional but useful
Ingredients
Pâte Sucrée Crust:
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
213 grams all-purpose flour
76 grams confectioners' sugar
¼ tsp table salt
113 grams (8 TBSP) unsalted butter, cubed, chilled
Dark Chocolate Crémeux Filling:
½ cup half & half
2 large egg yolks
¼ tsp table salt
170 grams (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate, chopped small
¾ tsp vanilla extract
70 grams (5 TBSP) unsalted butter, melted and hot
Topping (Optional):
Adapted from: https://www.cooksillustrated.com/recipes/14589-milk-chocolate-cremeux-tart
Instructions
Make the crust: Whisk egg and vanilla together in a small bowl. Set aside. Place flour, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a food processor and pulse 2 or 3 times until combined. Add the cold cubes of butter and process until mixture looks like small breadcrumbs with no pieces of butter visible, about 20 - 30 seconds. With processor running, add the vanilla and egg mixture and keep the processor running until a dough just forms.
Roll out the dough between 2 sheets of parchment paper until it's a generous ⅛-inch thick and refrigerate or ideally freeze until firm. About 1 hour in the refrigerator, 30 minutes in the freezer.
Preheat the oven to 350° F.
Remove the top layer of parchment and, using one of the tart pans, cut out circles to line the bottom of the tart pans. Next cut long strips for the sides that match the height and circumference of your pans. Press the strips into the sides of the pans and use a paring knife to cut off any excess. You can see visuals for this technique in my post for Chocolate Chip Cookie Tarts. Once your tart pans have been lined, place them back in the refrigerator or freezer until completely firm.
Place the frozen tart shells on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Line the inside of the tarts with aluminum foil, and fill with pie weights, dried beans, or dried rice.
Bake for 12-15 minutes until light golden brown, remove from oven and carefully remove pie weights and foil. Return shells to oven and bake for an additional 5-8 minutes or until the crust is golden and looks dry and is not at all shiny. Let cool completely on cooling rack. Gently remove tart shells from pans only when completely cool.
Make the filling: Add egg yolks, half & half, and salt to a small to medium saucepan and whisk together. Heat the pan over medium-low, stirring slowly but constantly with a rubber spatula – making sure to scrape the bottom of the pan – until visibly thickened and if you run your finger across the back of the spatula the mixture stays in place and doesn't run off. If you have a digital thermometer it should register 170°F. Remove the custard from the heat and quickly whisk in the chocolate and vanilla until smooth then whisk in the melted butter. Quickly but carefully pour the mixture into the cooled tart shells. (Don't wait too long or the mixture will be too thick to pour and you'll have to spoon it in.) Let cool to room temperature then place tarts in the refrigerator to chill and set. At least 2 hours.
Once set, optionally sprinkle fleur de sel, crushed rose petals, or the topping of your choice and enjoy!
