Every time I bake these tarts I know that it will be a success: I definitely think that this recipe is my forte!
The secret to have a delicious result is to use good ingredients..so if you're thinking to buy cheap chocolate then..think again!
The chocolate must contain at least 70% cocoa and the shortcrust pastry shall be thin but not too much crunchy, you need to create the right "balance" between the filling and the pastry case.
These are the ingredients
For the pastry (makes approx. 20 tarts Ø4 cm):
270 g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
120 g icing sugar
135 g unsalted butter, cold and cut into small pieces
4 egg yolks
1 tsp (5 g) baking powder
1 vanilla pod, halved and seeds scraped out
For the filling
500 ml whole milk
100 g caster sugar
40 g plain flour, sifted
2 egg yolks,
2 egg whites
100 g dark chocolate, at least 70% cocoa, melted
100 g unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
Method:
Sift the flour with the icing sugar and baking powder into a large mixing bowl. Add the butter and rub it with the flour using your fingertips until the mix resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add the vanilla seeds and the egg yolks, one at a time working the dough until you have a smooth ball. Don't work too much the pastry or the butter will melt and you'll have a chewy pastry. Cover the dough with cling film and chill for at least 30 minutes.
Roll out the pastry on a floured surface using a rolling pin at a 3 mm thickness and line with it a 24 cm greased tart tin. (For the pictures I used small tart tins, diameter about 4 cm.)
Put the pastry case in the fridge while preparing the filling and preheat the oven to 170°C.
Put the milk in a saucepan until it just begins to bubble, then set aside. Separate the egg whites from the egg yolks. Whip the yolks with the sugar in a bowl until pale and fluffy, add the sifted flour and mix well.
Pour this mixture in the saucepan with the milk whisking all the time with a balloon whisk. Cook the custard over a low heat stirring with a wooden spatula until thickened.
In the meanwhile melt the chocolate (in the at medium temperature microwave or in a bain marie), add the melted chocolate to the custard until combined, then add the butter and mix well. Set aside until cooled.
Whisk the egg whites to firm peaks then fold them into the lukewarm chocolate custard: using a rubber spatula add first a spoon of whipped egg whites to "temper" the custard (so that you'll avoid lumps), continue adding spoons of egg whites until the mixture is smooth, then add the remaining whites. Remember to fold very gently otherwise you'll compromise the "airiness" of the mixture.
Pour the filling over the pastry case and cook in the preheated oven for about 30/40 minutes until the tart edge is lightly brown and the filling is firm.
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