Warm Chocolate Tarts With Pink Peppercorn Ice Cream Food

PINK PEPPERCORN ICE CREAM

Steps:

• Bring milk, cream, sugar, and peppercorns to boil in heavy large saucepan, stirring until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat; let stand at room temperature 1 hour for flavors to blend.
• Bring milk mixture to simmer. Whisk egg yolks in large bowl to blend. Gradually whisk hot milk mixture into yolks. Return mixture to pan and stir over medium heat until finger leaves path on back of spoon when drawn across, about 3 minutes (do not boil). Strain custard into large bowl; cover. Refrigerate until cold, about 4 hours. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Keep refrigerated.)
• Process custard in ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions. Transfer to container; cover and freeze. (Can be made 3 days ahead. Keep frozen.)

BITTERSWEET CHOCOLATE TART WITH CREME ANGLAISE AND VANILLA ICE CREAM

Steps:

• Prepare a large bowl of ice water.
• In a heavy saucepan, add milk, vanilla beans, and cassia sticks tied in a loose knot and bring to a simmer on medium heat. Concurrently, in a mixing bowl, whisk eggs and sugar together. When the milk reaches a simmer, whisk in 1 cup of the hot milk to the egg mixture. Whisk this mix back to the hot milk, reduce heat to low and constantly stir with a wooden spoon.
• When mixture thickens enough to coat the back the wooden spoon and a line drawn with your finger holds it shape (about 12 to 15 minutes), immediately strain through a chinoise (fine sieve) into another bowl (a little smaller than the ice bath bowl) and place in ice bath. Stir occasionally to cool down. If there are any vanilla beans left on the pods, scrape into the anglaise. Stir to incorporate and chill sauce until ready to use.Sift the flour, salt and sugar into a food processor fitted with a blade. Add the butter and pulse until it resembles coarse meal, there should be pieces of butter. Add the ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, pulsing the processor. Only add enough water until the dough just holds together (about 3 to 4 tablespoons). Wrap in plastic and put in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
• Vanilla Ice Cream: Freeze according to machine?s instructions.
• Bittersweet Chocolate Tart: Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to about 9-inch diameter. Use an 8-inch false bottom tart pan and carefully place dough into the pan. Work the dough into the corners and prick with a fork. Cover with foil and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Fill pan with pie weights, rice or beans and bake blind for 15 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 5 to 7 minutes, until the dough becomes very light tan. Pull pan out of the oven and let cool at room temperature.
• For the filling, bring the cream to a simmer. Pull off of the heat and add the chocolate. When chocolate is completely melted, mix well, and let cool in the refrigerator. When chocolate mixture is cold, pull out of the refrigerator and whisk in the eggs just until incorporated. Pour into the tart shell and bake at 350 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes. It should still tremble in the center when lightly shaken. Let tart cool on a rack before demolding. Garnish with powdered sugar and cocoa powder.
• On a large plate, garnish the rim of the plate with powdered sugar and cocoa powder. Ladle a small pool of creme anglaise. Place a slice of the tart off of the side and place 1 scoop of ice cream next to it. For the ultimate, make individual tarts.

WARM CHOCOLATE TARTS WITH PINK PEPPERCORN ICE CREAM

Steps:

• For crust:
• Using on/off turns, finely grind almonds in processor. Transfer ground almonds to small bowl. Add butter and sugar to processor; blend until smooth. Blend in egg. Add ground almonds, flour, and salt; using on/off turns, process just to blend. Gather dough into ball and flatten into disk. Wrap dough in plastic and refrigerate overnight. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Keep refrigerated.)
• Roll out dough on lightly floured surface to 1/4-inch thickness. Using 5-inch-diameter plate or bowl as guide, cut out rounds. Gather dough scraps and repeat to form 8 rounds total. Press each dough round over bottom and up sides of 4 1/4- to 4 1/2-inch-diameter by 3/4-inch-high tartlet pan with removable bottom. Refrigerate 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 375°F. Arrange tartlet pans on large rimmed baking sheet. Bake crusts until golden brown around edges, pressing with back of fork if crusts bubble, about 20 minutes. Cool crusts 10 minutes.
• For filling:
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Stir chocolate and butter in double boiler over barely simmering water until melted and smooth; cool slightly. Beat eggs and sugar in large bowl to blend. Fold chocolate mixture into egg mixture. Fold in flour.
• Divide filling among crusts. Bake tarts on baking sheet until filling is puffed and set, about 13 minutes. Cool slightly. Remove tartlet pan sides. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cool completely in pans. Cover tarts with foil. Let stand at room temperature. Rewarm on sheet in 350°F oven 5 minutes.)
• Serve tarts warm with Pink Peppercorn Ice Cream.

WARM CHOC-ORANGE TARTS WITH ORANGE ICE CREAM

Steps:

• Make the ice cream first. Heat the milk and cream in a pan to just below boiling point. Stir together yolks and sugar, then gradually whisk in the hot milk mixture. Return to pan, heating gently and stirring until thickened. Stir in the zest and juice, and cool. Churn, then freeze until solid. Can be made up to a month ahead.
• To make the pastry, whizz flour and butter in a food processor, then pulse in icing sugar. Pulse in zest with enough yolk mixture to bring the pastry together. Roll out and line 8 deep, individual tart tins. Chill for 30 mins.
• Heat oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Fill tarts with baking parchment and baking beans, and bake blind for 15 mins. Remove beans and paper and bake for 10 mins more. Remove from oven. When cool enough to handle, remove from tins and sit on a baking sheet. Turn oven down to 160C/140C fan/gas 3.
• For the filling, melt chocolate in a bowl over a pan of barely simmering water. Beat the 2 whole eggs, extra white and sugar until thick and pale - about 5 mins. Fold in the chocolate, melted butter and flour, then divide between the tarts. Let the mixture settle for a few mins, then bake for 25 mins. Leave to cool for 10 mins while scooping ice cream into balls. Dust the tarts with a little cocoa, top each with a scoop of ice cream.