Everyone who enjoys a chocolate tart every time they can, raise their hands. Yeah, I thought so - sisters of the soul. I sure order it from the La Madeleine restaurant or other local bakery whenever it shows up in the display case. It's like a little piece of heaven in one tiny spot - a rich little chocolate pudding, a dollop of cream and some pie crust, simply divine.
This is a New York chef recipe from the famous restaurant Aureole. Chef Christopher Lee uses Sicilian sea salt to enhance the sweet creamy richness of the indulgent chocolate dessert.
He also includes the unlikely addition of the chocolate malt Ovaltine to the bittersweet baking chocolate.
1. For the Tart Crust, place flour, sugar and salt in bowl of food processor; cover. Pulse to combine. Add
butter; process until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add egg yolk and vanilla; process until dough
begins to form a ball. (If needed, add 1 to 2 tablespoons cold water.) Divide dough in half. Wrap each half
in plastic wrap, pressing to form a disk. Refrigerate at least 1 hour.
2. Cut each disk into 4 equal pieces. Roll each piece on lightly floured surface into a 6-inch circle, 1/8-inch
thick. Press into 4-inch tart pan with removable bottom. Trim excess dough from top. Repeat with
remaining pieces of dough to form a total of 8 tart shells. Freeze 30 minutes.
3. Preheat oven to 350°F. Place tart pans on large baking sheet. Bake 20 to 22 minutes or until lightly
browned. Cool tart shells in pans on wire rack. Carefully remove tart shells from pans. (Can be made 1
day ahead. Place tart shells on baking sheet. Cover with plastic wrap. Store at room temperature.)
4. For the Salted Caramel, mix sugar and water in medium saucepan. Bring to boil on medium-high heat.
Continue boiling 5 to 6 minutes or until golden brown, swirling pan occasionally for even cooking. Remove
from heat. Add cream, 1/3 at a time, whisking until well mixed after each addition. Add sea salt; whisk until
dissolved. Divide caramel among tart shells. Let stand 20 minutes or until caramel is firm.
5. For the Chocolate Ganache, bring cream just to boil in medium saucepan on medium heat. Remove
from heat. Add Ovaltine; whisk until dissolved. Add chocolate; stir until chocolate is dissolved and mixture
is smooth. Spoon ganache over caramel in tart shells. Refrigerate 1 hour or until ganache is firm.
6. For the Chantilly Cream, beat cream and sugar in large bowl with electric mixer on high speed until soft
peaks form. Add cinnamon; beat until stiff peaks form.
7. To serve, place a tart on a plate. Sprinkle with additional sea salt,
if desired. Top tart a dollop of Chantilly Cream. Sprinkle with additional cinnamon, if desired.
Tart dough can be prepared 1 day ahead. Store dough in refrigerator. Let stand at room temperature 10 minutes before rolling into tart shells.
Chocolate tart can be prepare 1 day ahead. Refrigerate prepared tart, uncovered, until ganache is firm. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve.
This recipe was created by Christopher Lee, Executive Chef at New York’s Aureole restaurant, for the McCormick® Gourmet Collection.
