Seasonal Recipe – Amedei Chocolate Tarts

Hazelnut & Almond Pastry filled Toscano 70% chocolate ganache and rich chocolate sponge then finished with Crème Chantilly.

Makes Approximately 16 Tarts

Recipes:

Hazelnut & almond pastry

Chocolate ganache

Rich chocolate sponge

Crème Chantilly

Decoration:

Chocolate Curl

Chocolate Square

Gold Leaf

Equipment:

16 x tartlet tins measuring 7cm diameter and 3cm depth

Hazelnut and almond pastry

300g        Unsalted butter

120g        Icing sugar

65g           Ground hazelnuts

65g           Ground almonds

60g           Icing sugar

1g             Salt

100g        Eggs

400g        Soft flour

1. Sieve all the dry ingredients.
2. Roughly chop the unsalted butter. Place in a machine bowl.
3. Add the icing sugar (120gms); beat together until light in texture and in colour.
4. Mix in the ground almonds, icing sugar and salt. Beat in well.
5. Beat the eggs and gradually add into the mixture.
6. Add the flour, mix in. Insure the mixture is smooth and a homogeneous mass.
7. Place the pastry onto a floured tray, wrap in cling film and rest in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours before use.
8. Roll out the pastry to 3mm thick. Cut into discs of approximately 10cm, line each tartlet case with the prepared pastry discs and trim the edges of each tart. Rest for at least 1 hour.
9. Preheat the oven to 180 °C. Prior to blind baking the tart, dock the base using a fork and line the inside of the tart with baking paper filled will baking beans. Cook for 8 minutes before carefully removing the paper lining and baking beans. Return to the oven for a further 5 minutes or until golden in colour.

Rich Chocolate Sponge

80g           Egg whites

40g           Caster sugar

85g           Toscano 63% dark chocolate

40g           Unsalted butter

25g           Egg yolk

1. Prepare a 40x30cm baking tray lined with non-stick paper and pre-heat the oven to 170°C. Prepare a piping bag fitted with a 12mm round nossle.
2. Melt the dark chocolate over a bain-marie and add the unsalted butter. Mix until the butter has melted and fully combined with the chocolate.
3. Add the egg yolks and mix well.
4. Place the egg whites into a mixing bowl and whisk while gradually adding the sugar. Whisk until the mixture becomes a stiff meringue.
5. Add 1/3 of meringue to chocolate mix and mix well. Add back to meringue and fold carefully until combined.
6. Spoon the mixture into a piping bag and pipe discs of approximately 3.5cm.
7. Bake at 170°C for 10-12 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely before using.

Dark Chocolate Ganache

250g        Dark Chocolate (finely chopped)

220g        Whipping cream

30g           Invert sugar

40g           Unsalted Butter

1. Boil the cream and invert sugar together.
2. Pour onto the chopped chocolate and mix together.
3. Add the softened butter. Mix with a spatula until smooth.
4. Use immediately.

Crème Chantilly

100g        Whipping cream

100g        Double cream

¼               Vanilla pod

15g           Sugar

1. Whisk together the creams, vanilla seeds and sugar until soft peaks.
2. Use immediately.

TO ASSEMBLE

1. Remove the baked tarts from the tartlet cases
2. Prepare the ganache. Spoon or pipe the ganache into each tart until approximately one third full. Carefully place the chocolate sponge into each tart Gently press down so the sponge sits evenly inside the tart, then fill the tarts with the remaining ganache
3. Spread evenly inside the tart so it is level with the top. Allow to fully set.
4. Prepare the Chantilly Cream
5. Decorate with chocolate decorations and gold leaf.