Description
Sweet chocolate orange tartlets feature a luxurious blend of rich ganache and zesty citrus notes. Delicate pastry shells cradle silky chocolate, promising a memorable dessert experience for passionate bakers and chocolate enthusiasts.
Ingredients
Scale
- 120 ml (½ cup) orange juice (about 3 oranges)
- 4 egg yolks
- 1 zest of orange
- 50 g (4 tbsps) caster sugar
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 75 g (5 tbsps) unsalted butter
- 250 g (1 ⅔ cups) all-purpose flour
- 50 g (½ cup) icing sugar
- 1 egg
- 120 g (½ cup) unsalted butter, very cold
- 1 pinch table salt
- 70 g (2.5 oz) dark cooking chocolate
- 70 ml (¼ cup + 2 tsp) heavy cream
Instructions
- Pastry Preparation: Pulse flour, powdered sugar, and salt in a food processor, then integrate ice-cold butter until the mixture resembles sandy crumbs.
- Dough Formation: Add whisked egg to create a cohesive dough, shape into a sphere, and roll between parchment sheets to 3mm thickness.
- Chilling Process: Refrigerate pastry disk for one hour, then cut rounds matching muffin pan diameter and carefully press into cavities, eliminating air pockets.
- Preliminary Baking: Preheat oven to 160°C, perforate pastry bases, and freeze muffin pan; line shells with parchment and baking weights, baking for 15 minutes.
- Shell Crisping: Remove weights and continue baking until shells turn golden and crisp.
- Orange Curd Creation: Combine orange juice, zest, egg yolks, sugar, and cornstarch in a saucepan, warming on low heat while stirring continuously until thickened.
- Curd Refinement: Incorporate butter cubes, melting gradually, then strain through a fine mesh for a silky texture.
- Tartlet Assembly: Fill cooled shells with orange curd, refrigerating for two hours to set completely.
- Chocolate Ganache: Finely chop cooking chocolate, pour simmering cream over half, allowing it to rest before stirring to create a glossy mixture.
- Final Touches: Pipe ganache over set orange curd, refrigerate to set, then garnish with dehydrated orange slices, zest, or chocolate shavings.
- Serving Preparation: Rest tartlets at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving to optimize flavor and texture.
Notes
- Chill for Perfection: Refrigerate pastry dough for at least one hour to prevent shrinkage and ensure a flaky, tender crust during baking.
- Blind Baking Technique: Use parchment paper and baking weights to prevent the pastry from puffing up and maintain a crisp, even base.
- Smooth Curd Secret: Strain orange curd through a fine mesh sieve to remove any lumps, creating a silky-smooth, professional-looking filling.
- Ganache Glossiness: Allow chocolate to sit in warm cream for a few moments before stirring to achieve a perfectly smooth, glossy ganache with no separation.
- Prep Time: 45 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Desserts
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: French
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 7
- Calories: 360
- Sugar: 16 g
- Sodium: 50 mg
- Fat: 24 g
- Saturated Fat: 14 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 36 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Cholesterol: 95 mg