Description
Velvety chocolate orange tartlets bring French patisserie magic to your dessert table. Rich cocoa and zesty citrus dance together in delicate pastry shells, offering a luxurious treat that enchants your palate with sophisticated Mediterranean charm.
Ingredients
Scale
Chocolate Orange Tartlets
Flour and Base Ingredients:
- 250 g (1 ⅔ cups) all-purpose flour
- 50 g (½ cup) icing sugar
- 120 g (½ cup) unsalted butter, very cold
- 1 egg
- 1 pinch table salt
Filling Components:
- 4 egg yolks
- 120 ml (½ cup) orange juice (about 3 oranges)
- 50 g (4 tablespoons) caster sugar
- 75 g (5 tablespoons) unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- Zest of 1 orange
Chocolate Topping:
- 70 g (2.5 ounces) dark cooking chocolate
- 70 ml (¼ cup + 2 teaspoons) heavy cream
Instructions
- Craft a buttery, delicate pastry foundation by pulsing flour, powdered sugar, and salt in a food processor.
- Incorporate ice-cold butter cubes until the mixture resembles fine, sandy crumbs.
- Gently introduce a whisked egg, allowing the dough to form a cohesive mass.
- Shape the dough into a compact sphere, then roll between parchment sheets to approximately 3mm thickness.
- Refrigerate the pastry disk for a minimum of one hour to allow proper resting and chilling.
- Extract small pastry rounds using a cookie cutter, ensuring they match the muffin pan’s diameter.
- Carefully nestle each pastry circle into the muffin cavities, meticulously pressing to eliminate air pockets.
- Perforate the pastry bases with a fork, then return to the refrigerator for another hour of chilling.
- Preheat the oven to 160°C and freeze the muffin pan simultaneously.
- Line tartlet shells with parchment and fill with baking weights, then bake for 15 minutes.
- Remove weights and continue baking until the shells transform into a golden, crisp texture.
- Prepare the orange curd by combining fresh orange juice, zest, egg yolks, sugar, and cornstarch in a saucepan.
- Warm the mixture on low heat, stirring continuously until it begins to thicken and sugar dissolves.
- Gradually introduce cubed butter, melting each addition while maintaining a consistent stirring motion.
- Strain the curd through a fine mesh to ensure a silky-smooth consistency.
- Fill the cooled tartlet shells with the fragrant orange curd, tapping gently to release trapped air.
- Refrigerate the filled tartlets for a minimum of two hours to achieve a perfect set.
- Create a luxurious chocolate ganache by finely chopping high-quality cooking chocolate.
- Heat cream until it reaches a gentle simmer, then pour half over the chocolate, allowing it to rest.
- Stir the mixture using circular motions, developing a glossy, smooth ganache.
- Complete the ganache by incorporating the remaining cream and stirring until fully integrated.
- Transfer the ganache to a piping bag and delicately distribute over the orange curd.
- Refrigerate to set the ganache for approximately one hour.
- Elevate the presentation by garnishing with dehydrated orange slices, fresh zest, or chocolate shavings.
- Allow the tartlets to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving to optimize flavor and texture.
Notes
- Chilling dough is crucial for creating a flaky, tender tartlet shell that doesn’t shrink during baking.
- Pre-freezing muffin pan before baking ensures a crisp, golden crust with perfect edges.
- Orange curd requires constant low-heat stirring to prevent lumps and achieve a silky smooth texture.
- Use fresh, high-quality orange juice and zest for the most vibrant and intense citrus flavor.
- Ganache works best when chocolate is chopped finely and cream is added gradually for smooth, glossy results.
- Allow tartlets to rest at room temperature before serving to soften the ganache and enhance overall taste and texture.
- Prep Time: 45 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Desserts
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: French
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6
- Calories: 300
- Sugar: 15 g
- Sodium: 50 mg
- Fat: 20 g
- Saturated Fat: 10 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 30 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Cholesterol: 80 mg