Chocolate, lemon and fruit tarts (gluten-free)

(Version française en cours...)

There were so many different pastries I baked during the holidays (yes, ok, a tiny bit obsessively) but I didn't have time to write about it. But now that it's unbelievably, what?!, February, I can finally consecrate time.  Lots of it, even.  

There is one pastry you must absolutely try.  Silky chocolate (ganache) tarts.  What took me so long to post about these wonders? Well truth be told, I had not known they were so easy to bake and at the same time, a delicious death-by-chocolate pastry.  Sometimes I top them with freshly made meringue.  Or sprinkle a layer of lightly toasted almond slivers.  Or for god's sake, just plain because they are that good.

Here is the recipe for a pastry crust which is also the basic crust for other pastries I bake, so tuck the recipe away!  This quantity is enough for 2 boatloads of desserts. I usually bake a large pie or tart and make small individual pastry tartelettes.  You can also cut the dough in half, put away half in the freezer for another day of baking.

Dough ingredients:

300 g flour (or gluten-free flour blend, but make sure it has xanthan gum which holds the pastry together)

150 g butter, room temperature 

4 tablespoons of sugar

4 tablespoons of 30% cream or yoghurt

1-2 tablespoons of milk (as necessary)

1 teaspoon salt

 

Knead butter and flour together, add cream or yogurt, sugar, salt and milk.  Knead together about 2 minutes, adding a teaspoon or more of flour or milk to get a non-sticky texture (does not stick to finger).  Cover and allow to cool in refrigerator for 2 hours.  Preheat oven 175°C (350° F).  Line a pan (or individual tart pans) with parchment paper, roll the dough on a flat surface and roll out to an 1/8 inch thickness, then transfer to pan, cutting out excess dough.  With a fork, pierce the surface, then bake for 30-35 minutes, or until golden (small tartelettes take less time, like 20-25 min). Allow to cool on a cooling rack before pouring in filling.

Chocolate ganache filling:

120 g of dark chocolate 70%

120 g of liquid cream

50 g sugar

50 g of milk

20 g butter
2 eggs, beaten

Dash of sea salt

How to make chocolate ganache : 

Over medium heat, warm milk, cream, sugar and butter until just boiling and remove.  In a bowl, place the chocolate and add 1/3 of the hot milk mixture and mix to melt chocolate.  Continue to add another 1/3 of the milk and mix with the chocolate, then finally the rest of the milk until fully melted.  Add the beaten eggs, mixing in well.  Tap bowl to counter to release bubbles. Preheat oven 175°C (350°F). Pour into pre-baked crust, tap on counter to release bubbles again, turn off the temperature, and place in oven for 15 minutes (even less like 10-12 minutes, if you are baking small individual tarts).  Remove and allow to cool on cooling rack before serving.

Lemon curd:

Juice of 3 lemons

Rind of 1/2 lemon (optional)

150 g of sugar

3 eggs

75 g of butter

For a lemon curd filling :
Warm lemon juice in a saucepan.  Cream sugar and eggs together in a bowl.  Whisk into simmering lemon juice.  Once thickened, add chunks of butter and whisk until melted.  If you add lemon rind, you need to pass the curd through a fine strainer before pouring into a jar. Allow to cool, better overnight, it. thickens this way.  Prebake crusts as mentioned above.  Spoon or pipe lemon curd into crusts.  Add meringue or fruit to decorate if you wish.

Pomegrante curd:

Juice of 1 pomegranate or 2 oranges + 1/2 a rind

120 g of sugar

3 eggs

75 g of butter

Dash of sea salt

For a pomegranate (which turns a crazy purple) or orange curd filling (so nice on breakfast toast):

Warm juice in a saucepan. Cream sugar and eggs together in a bowl.  Whisk into simmering juice.  Once thickened, add chunks of butter and whisk until melted.  If you add rind, you need to pass the curd through a fine strainer before pouring in a jar. Allow to cool, better overnight.  Spoon into prebaked crusts.  Decorate with fruit or meringue.

This pomegranate curd turns a purple color, regardless of the bright red pomegranate juice. If you prefer a deeper reddish color, add hibiscus juice or red food coloring.  I added a dash of hibiscus juice but it became a deeper purple.

Meringue:

2 egg whites

1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

70-80 g of confectioners sugar

How to make meringue :
Beat the egg whites with cream of tartar until they form stiff peaks. Add confectioners sugar and continue to beat another 2-3 minutes.  Preheat oven 120° C (250° F). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. You can either use a piping bag to pipe mushrooms or kisses, or use a spoon to form little clouds.  Bake about 40-50 minutes, time depends on the size of the meringues.  Very small ones can be baked in 30-40 minutes.  They are ready once they become crispy, light and airy.

Enjoy, everyone, and tell me how they turn out!