Double Chocolate Malted Tart Food

DOUBLE CHOCOLATE TART WITH DULCE DE LECHE

Steps:

• Special equipment: 9-inch fluted tart pan with removable bottom
• Crust: Whisk the flour, cocoa, salt and baking soda together in a medium bowl. Put the butter, confectioners' and brown sugar in a food processor and process until smooth and creamy. Add the dry ingredients and pulse to combine. Add the egg yolks and continue to pulse to make a smooth dough. Remove the blade, and turn dough out onto a large sheet of plastic wrap, form into a disk, and wrap tightly. Refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to 2 days.
• Meanwhile, make the filling: Put the chocolate in a medium bowl. Put the cream and sweetened condensed milk in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. (Alternatively, heat the cream and milk in the microwave.) Pour the cream over the chocolate and whisk until smooth and shiny. Whisk in the eggs and vanilla until smooth. Cover, and set aside at room temperature.
• Place the dough between 2 pieces of waxed or parchment paper and roll into a circle about 1/4-inch thick. Refrigerate for 15 minutes.
• Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees F. Peel off a piece of parchment from the dough, then gently flip dough into tart pan, peeling away the rest of parchment. Carefully press dough into the tart pan so that it sits evenly in the pan. Trim excess dough from the edges, if needed. Line the crust with wax paper or lightly sprayed parchment paper and fill with pie weights or baking beans (see photo).
• Place tart shell on a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the paper and weights and continue to bake until the crust sets and looks a little dull (a sign it is cooked), about 5 minutes more. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees F.
• Remove tart pan from oven and spread the dulce de leche evenly over the warm crust. Then top with the chocolate filling. Bake until the filling sets around edges but is still slightly wobbly in the center, about 25 to 30 minutes. Cool completely.
• Serve. For a final flourish, sprinkle lightly with gray salt just before serving, if desired.
• - Make dough and freeze for up to a month ahead.
• - Form, bake and freeze crust, tightly wrapped, for up to 1 week.
• - Assemble and refrigerate up to 2 days, tightly wrapped.
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CHOCOLATE MALTED SEMIFREDDO

Steps:

• Line round 2 1/2-inch collars with strips of acetate and place them in the freezer.
• In a large bowl, whisk the yolks, sugar, brandy, malt powder, milk, and vanilla bean together. Over a hot water bath cook whisking constantly until very thick, like a sabayon. Remove from the heat and take out the vanilla bean. Whisk in the chocolate to melt it, then let this cool almost completely. Fold in the whipped cream until completely combined.
• Pour semifreddo mixture into collars filling 1/8-inch from the top and freeze overnight. To serve it, take it out of the collar and sprinkle it lightly with cocoa powder and powdered sugar then place on dessert plates then peel off the acetate. Let sit for 10 minutes before serving to temper it a bit.

DOUBLE CHOCOLATE MALT SHOP CUPCAKES WITH CHERRY-VANILLA BUTTERCREAM

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 regular 12-cup cupcake tins with paper liners.
• In a large bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Whisk until well blended.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the milk, malted milk powder, and espresso powder. Add the canola oil and eggs; whisk to blend. Add the milk mixture to the flour mixture and beat until smooth. Add the sour cream and vanilla and beat until well combined. Stir in the miniature chocolate chips.
• Divide the batter among the prepared cupcake tins, filling only halfway full. Bake the cupcakes for 15 to 17 minutes, until they spring back when touched and a toothpick inserted into the center emerges clean.
• While the cupcakes bake, prepare the buttercream. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix together the sugar and the butter on medium-low speed until well blended. Add the vanilla and whipping cream and beat on medium speed for 2 minutes, until light, spreadable and fluffy. Beat in the cherry preserves until well incorporated.
• When the cupcakes have finished baking, let sit in the pans for 2 minutes and then transfer the cupcakes to wire racks to cool for 10 minutes more.
• While the cupcakes cool, transfer the buttercream to a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip. Alternatively, you can frost the cupcakes with a knife or offset spatula. When the cupcakes have cooled, pipe the buttercream in decorative swirls on top of the cupcake (or swirl with a spatula). Garnish the top of each cupcake with a malted milk ball or cherry and serve.

DOUBLE CHOCOLATE & CARAMEL TART, FROSTED PISTACHIOS & RUM CREAM

Steps:

• To make the pastry, sift the flour, icing sugar and cocoa powder together in a bowl. Add the butter and rub together with your fingers until it matches the consistency of breadcrumbs. Add the egg yolks and mix with your fingers until it forms a soft paste. You may need to add a little iced water. You can do this in a food processor, pulsing the ingredients together if you prefer. Wrap the pastry in cling film and put in the fridge for at least 1 hr to rest. Can be made 2 days ahead.
• Take the pastry from the fridge and roll out on a lightly floured surface, to the thickness of a £1 coin. Use it to line a 23cm loose-based tart tin, making sure you work the pastry right into the crease and have it slightly overlapping the rim. Chill the pastry for 1 hr more.
• Heat oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Line the chilled tart base with baking parchment, then fill with baking beans or rice and bake for 20 mins. Remove the pastry from the oven, take out the baking beans and parchment, and cook for a further 15-20 mins or until the base is crisp. Leave to cool.
• Once cooled, use a sharp knife to trim the excess pastry to leave a smooth edge. Spread the caramel over the base of the tart and place the whole thing in the freezer for at least 1 hr. Can be prepared to this stage up to 1 week ahead.
• The next day, heat oven to 140C/120C fan/ gas 1. To make the chocolate filling, melt the chocolate in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water until just melted and set aside. In a separate pan, bring the milk and cream to the boil, stirring to make sure it doesn't burn at the bottom. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs until frothy, then pour the hot cream onto the eggs while whisking. Pass this mixture through a sieve onto the melted chocolate and mix fairly quickly.
• Take the tart out of the freezer and pour the chocolate custard on top of the caramel. Bake in the oven for 20-25 mins until there is only a slight wobble. Remove from the oven and leave to cool for at least 2 hrs, or chill in the fridge for 1 hr before slicing. Can be done the day before.
• Meanwhile, make your frosted pistachios. Put the sugar and 30ml water in a pan, bring to the boil, then reduce by half - but don't let it caramelise. Add the nuts and stir to crystallise the sugar. Tip onto a sheet of baking parchment and leave to cool.
• To make the rum cream, put the cream and sugar in a large bowl and whisk to soft peaks, then pour in the rum and whisk until firm. Place in the fridge to chill.
• When you're ready to serve, crush the frosted nuts roughly with a pestle and mortar, then scatter over the top. Add neat spoonfuls or quenelles of the cream on top, then coat the tart in a layer of finely grated chocolate, and serve.

DOUBLE CHOCOLATE MALT SHOP CUPCAKES W CHERRY-VANILLA BUTTERCREAM

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. line 2 regular 12- cuo tins with paper liners.
• In a large bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Whisk until well blended.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the milk, malted milk powder, and espresso powder. Add the canola oil and eggs; whisk to blend. Add the milk mixture to the flour mixature and beat until smooth. Add the sour cream and vanilla and beat until combined. Stir in the minature chocolate chips.
• Divide the batter among the prepared cupcake tins, filling only halfway full. Bake the cupcakes for 15 to 17 minutes, until they spring back when touched and a toothpick inserted into the center emerges clean.
• While the cupcakes bake, prepare the buttercream. In the bowl of an electris mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix together the sugar and the butter on medium-low speed until well blended. Add the vanilla and whipping cream and beat on medium speed for 2 minutes, until light, spreadable and fluffy. Beat in the cherry preserves until well incorporated.
• When the cupcakes have finished baking, let sit in the pans for 2 minutes and then transfer the cupcakes to the wire racks to cool for 10 minutes more.
• While the cupcakes cool, transfer the buttercream to a patry bag fitted with a large star tip. Alternatively, you can frost the cupcakes with a knife or offset spatula. When th ecupcakes have cooled, pipe the buttercream on decorativve swirls on top of the cupcake ( or swirl with a spatula ). Garnish on top of each cupcake with a malted milk ball or cherry and serve.