Walnut Tartlets With Chocolate Ganache Filling Food

CHOCOLATE GANACHE MINI-TART RECIPE

Steps:

• Add first four ingredients to a food processor and pulse until well blended.
• Cut butter into 8 pieces. Add to dry ingredients and pulse until the mixture looks like oatmeal.
• Use a fork to break up and mix egg, then pour it all at once into the food processor bowl. Pulse 5-6 times to begin to moisten the mixture. Let the machine run steadily for a few seconds. Watch carefully until mixture begins to stick together and starts to form a ball. Machine will make a different sound as this happens.
• Press dough into a cylinder (like a roll of refrigerated cookie dough), cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 30-45 minutes or up to a week.
• When ready to make crusts, cut the cylinder into 12 equal slices. I usually end up with 13 tarts because I roll all the scraps together to make the 13th shell.
• Roll each slice between plastic wrap until just slightly larger around than tart shell. The dough should be just shy of 1/4 inch thick and a consistent thickness throughout. This can be a little tricky at first. Practice makes perfect.
• Cover and freeze mini-tart shells until rock hard.
• Place tart shells onto a cookie sheet. Cover the inside of each tart with foil pressed to fit down inside. Bake in preheated 400 degrees F oven for 10 minutes. Remove the foil and bake 2-3 more minutes.
• Cool for 5 minutes. Remove crust from pan or mold. Fill when completely cool.
• Chop chocolate and place into a deep bowl.
• Heat cream just until it starts to boil, then pour over chocolate and let sit for several minutes until chocolate has melted.
• Use a whisk or spoon to begin stirring in lazy circles starting from the middle until mixture is uniform. Don't go crazy stirring or chocolate will lose its beautiful gloss. Gentle motion is good.
• Add butter in small pieces and continue mixing gently until ganache is once again uniform.
• The mixture should be thick enough to go straight into the crusts, but if runny, refrigerate for a few minutes until it thickens.
• Fill cooled tartlet shells with ganache.
• Chill tartlets until ready to serve. Remove 30 minutes before serving to allow the filling to soften a bit. Garnish with fruit or whipped cream.

WALNUT TART

Steps:

• In a small bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg yolk. Gradually add flour just until blended (mixture will be crumbly). , Press onto the bottom and up the sides of an ungreased 9-in. tart pan with removable bottom. Place pan on baking sheet. Bake at 375° for 12-14 minutes. Cool in the pan on a wire rack. , Sprinkle nuts over crust. In a small heavy saucepan, combine sugar, butter, corn syrup and 2 tablespoons of cream. Boil and stir over medium heat for 1 minute longer. Pour over walnuts. , Return pan to baking sheet. Bake at 375° for 10-12 minutes or until bubbly. Cool on a wire rack. , In a small bowl, beat remaining cream until stiff peaks form. Serve tart at room temperature with whipped cream.

CHOCOLATE GANACHE TART

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Make dough: In a food processor, pulse almonds until finely ground. Add sugar, flour, and salt; pulse until combined. Add butter, pulsing until coarse crumbs form with no large butter lumps (dough should clump together when pinched with fingers).
• Immediately transfer dough to a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Using a measuring cup, evenly press dough into the bottom and up the sides of pan.
• Bake in center of oven until golden brown and firm to the touch, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely, about 1 hour.
• Make ganache: Place chocolate in a large mixing bowl. In a small saucepan, bring cream to a boil. Pour hot cream, through a sieve, over chocolate. Stir until smooth and creamy in texture. Mix in vanilla.
• Pour chocolate mixture into center of cooled tart shell (if chocolate is lumpy, pass through a sieve). Let stand until set, about 2 hours, or refrigerate for 1 hour. Serve with whipped cream, if desired.

WALNUT TART

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Tear off a piece of foil twice as large as crust. Fold it in half and smear it with butter; lay buttered side onto crust. Weight foil with a pile of dried beans or rice (these can be reused for this purpose), pie weights, or a tight-fitting ovenproof skillet or saucepan - anything that will sit flat on the surface. Bake 12 minutes, then remove foil and continue to bake at 350 degrees, until crust is a beautiful shade of brown, another few minutes. Remove and let cool on a rack while you prepare filling.
• Put sugar in a heavy 6- or 8-inch saucepan or deep skillet with a tablespoon of water and turn heat to medium. Cook, gently shaking pan occasionally, until sugar melts; then cook, stirring occasionally and scraping sides with a heat-proof flexible spatula, until mixture turns golden.
• Turn heat to low, then carefully add butter and cream. Cook, stirring constantly, until butter melts and mixture is uniform. Stir in walnuts and a large pinch of salt if you like, then spread on crust. Refrigerate for about an hour, then sprinkle with a little more salt and serve.

CHOCOLATE WALNUT TART

Steps:

• On a lightly floured surface, roll out pastry to fit an 11-in. fluted tart pan with removable bottom. Transfer pastry to pan; trim edges. Sprinkle with chocolate chips and walnuts. In a small bowl, whisk the eggs, corn syrup, brown sugar, butter and vanilla. Pour over chips and nuts., Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. Serve with whipped cream if desired.

WALNUT TARTLETS WITH CHOCOLATE GANACHE FILLING

Steps:

• To make leaves use non-toxic leaves such as rose or lemon. You can get them from flower shop, just be sure to wash and dry them
• Prepare Chocolate Leaves and set aside. Directions for chocolate leaves: Place large sheet heavy-duty foil on counter.
• Fill saucepan 1/4 full (about 1 inch deep) with warm water. Place chocolate and shortening in 1-cup glass measure. To melt chocolate, place measure in warm water; stir frequently with rubber spatula until smooth. (Be careful not to get any water into chocolate or chocolate may become lumpy.)
• Brush melted chocolate onto underside of each leaf with small, clean craft paintbrush or pastry brush, coating leaf thickly and evenly. Carefully wipe off any chocolate that may have run onto front of leaf.
• Place leaves, chocolate-sides up, on foil. Let stand 1 hour or until chocolate is set.
• Carefully peel leaves away from chocolate beginning at stem ends; refrigerate chocolate leaves until ready to use.
• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Place walnuts in food processor. Process using on/off pulsing action until walnuts are finely chopped, but not pasty.
• Reserve 2 tablespoons walnuts. Place remaining walnuts in medium bowl. Add flour, sugar and lemon peel; blend well. Cut in butter with pastry blender or two knives until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in egg with fork until mixture holds together.
• Spoon 2 teaspoonfuls mixture into ungreased mini-muffin cups. Press dough onto bottom and up side of each cup with fingers.
• Bake 16 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 5 minutes in pan. Remove shells from pans. Cool completely on wire racks.
• Prepare Chocolate Ganache. Spoon 1/2 teaspoon ganache into each shell. Sprinkle reserved 2 tablespoons chopped nuts evenly over shells. Gently push chocolate leaf into each shell.
• Store tightly covered in refrigerator up to 1 week.
• Directions for ganache: Heat whipping cream and butter in small saucepan over medium heat until butter melts and mixture boils, stirring frequently with wooden spoon. Remove saucepan from heat. Stir in chocolate and vanilla until mixture is smooth, returning to heat for 20 to 30 second intervals as needed to melt chocolate. Keep warm (ganache is semi-firm at room temperature).