TARTE AU CHOCOLAT
How nice does that sound Tarte au chocolate, instead of chocolate tart, go on, you gotta admit it feels like it already tastes better because it is a French recipe, so named because it contains the superb chocolate filling the French call ‘ganache’.
Okay, maybe I’m just a tad biased…
The story has it that this young apprentice chef fell in love with a beautiful young maiden in the 1850s and he wanted to show her how much he loved her, so he made a rich, silky, smooth chocolate tart that would melt in your mouth with every spoonful just the way his heart melted every time he saw her. Her name, of course was Coco Ganashe and his was Piere Pasterie so he invented a dish where the pastry enfolds the chocolate sauce the way he wanted to enfold her in his arms.
At least that’s the kind of story I would have thought would belong to this tarte au chocolat but unfortunately it’s not, so never having been one to let the truth get in the way of a good story I invented this made-up version..
The real story behind the invention of this tart is that it was discovered by sheer accident. Apparently, while working in the kitchen, an apprentice chef, peradventure, poured boiling cream over some chocolate. Furious, the head chocolatier reprimanded his hapless protege, and called him a “ganache,” a term that at the time meant “dimwit” or “moron” in French.
As luck would have it, it turned out, to be a great mistake, resulting in the delicious silky, smooth chocolate-cream mixture which form the filling of this tart and is still to this day is called ‘ganache’. So next time you think you’ve made a mistake, before you start ganashing your teeth, have a taste and you may find you’ve invented a new classic.
Ingredients for the pastry
· 1 large egg yolk
· 2 tablespoons heavy cream
· ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
· ¼ cup sugar
· ¼ teaspoon salt
· 115 grams cold unsalted butter cut into small pieces
· 1 ¼ cups plain flour
Ingredients for the ganache
· 225 grams bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
· 2/3 cup heavy cream
· 2 large egg yolks, at room temperature
· 2 tablespoons (30 grams)unsalted butter, at room temperature
· ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Method for the pastry
preheat oven to 180C
1. Using a whisk, mix together egg yolk, 2 tablespoons of cream and vanilla and set aside.
2. In a food processor combine 1 ¼ cups flour, sugar and salt. Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles bread crumbs. Add egg yolk and cream mixture and process until dough forms, roughly a minute.
3. Place dough on sheet of plastic wrap and shape into disk. Cover with more plastic wrap and chill for 1 to 2 hours.
4. Roll out dough on lightly floured sheet of baking paper, then place in a 25-cm tart pan (if you prefer a thicker filling, use a slightly smaller pan). Pierce the pastry with a fork in all over and bake for 30 minutes, rotating half way through baking time, until golden brown all over.
Method for ganache
1. Place the chopped chocolate in a heat-resistant bowl and set it aside.
2. Make sure that the butter is nice and soft but not melted. set it aside in a small bowl.
3. In a small bowl beat 1 tablespoon of the heavy cream with the egg yolks until the mixture is just smooth.
4. pour the rest of the cream into a saucepan along with the vanilla extract and bring to a boil. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate. . Let stand for 30 seconds. Using a whisk, gently mix the cream into the chocolate. Allow the mixture to cool for another minute. Add the egg yolks, followed by the butter.
5. Pour the mixture evenly into the baked tart shell. Leave on counter until mixture is set. This should take around 20 minutes. Or you can place the tart in the refrigerator for no more than 20 minutes, then keep it at room temperature after it has set.
6. Serve the chocolate tart at room temperature. If you plan to serve it the next day, store it overnight in the refrigerator let it stand at room temperature for two hours before serving.
Topping
300mls whipping cream
2 tablespoons sugar
Method
Using an electric mixer with a whisk attachment. Whip the cream and sugar until firm.
Transfer three quarters of the cream into a separate bowl. Add a tablespoon of cocoa powder into the remaining whipped cream and whip for 20 seconds.
Decorate with piping bag or just using a spoon dollop cream over tart
Tips for making ganache
When making ganache I recommend to use a semi-sweet chocolate.
Ganache made with semi-sweet chocolate will be only slightly sweet. However bittersweet chocolate can also be used for even less sweet taste but keep in mind that when you add the cream it becomes less sweet yet again.
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