Mini Chocolate Tartlets

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“We cannot do great things on this earth, only small things with great love.”    –  Mother Teresa

I don’t think there is anything more satisfying – for the ones who love to impress with their food – than serving a whole assortment of homemade confections! I don’t even think there is anything out there that tastes as good as the homemade confections, although there are many really good manufacturers there. Why? Because when you make the confections yourself you pay attention to so much detail, that no 8-hour shifter has the time or the mind set for. Worse still if these confections are machine made! They will look gorgeous, and absolutely same size and shape. But the machine, never tastes, never adjusts, never adds its mood or spirit to the food! The machine equates and calculates in its computerised mind, how to serve you the exact same formula every time! The same marzipan pear I make today, might taste slightly different if I make it tomorrow! Because today, I am feeling for cloves but tomorrow I might be more into cinnamon. But you will always have a fresh and different treat when you come here.

Aren’t anticipation and the surprise element way more exciting than knowing exactly what you are going to get? Not only in flavour but even in presentation. The packs are all almost identical and almost all are filled the same way! At home, you play with the design, you stack the plates, you use a cup for pops, and bowls for truffles and layers upon layers of sweetness and imagination.

Now I am not saying that all manufacturers must shut down! But I am saying that occasionally make your own because your own is always different, it is your own! Some don’t have the time, some don’t have the knowledge, some can’t be bothered, and somethings can be bought to save time and effort… But whenever you can, go for making things yourself. It is utmost satisfaction and a chance to contemplate the food we regularly eat and take for granted. Also perhaps if we made more of our own food, we’d deplete less of earth’s resources and would subject less people to the slavery of our consumptions! Check out the video below and do be mindful about everyday thoughtless decisions!

In this recipe, we are going for the basic chocolate tart. A fully baked pie crust as instructed in the recipe topped with a lucious chocolate ganache. Then topped with your choice of toppings…

Here are some topping suggestions to get your imagination going…

  •  Shredded Coconuts
  • Candied Orange Peel
  • Candied Fruits
  • Maraschino Cherries
  • Caramel Brittles
  • even Intricate Sugar Designs…etc anything you fancy.

Ingredients

Serves: 24

Roll out your cooled pastry, and using a round cookie cutter cut into circles the size of the rim of your mini tartlet or cupcake holes.

Carefully place the cut crust in the holes, pressing down the bottom and sides.

Blind bake in 375F, 200C oven for 10 minutes, remove the weights and bake for a further 5-10 minutes or until the shells are cooked through.

Remove from the oven and cool completely on a wire rack.

 

Make the Ganache

by heating the cream on medium heat just until it boils. Remove from heat and add the chocolate pieces to the cream and let sit for 3 minutes. Stir the mixture until the chocolate is all melted and incorporated and the mixture is smooth and shiny. If any tiny chocolate pieces remain use an immersion blender to blend all into a smooth finish. Leave the ganache to set at room temperature for 15 minutes.

Put the Ganache in a piping bag, and pipe it in the centre of the tart shells if you are going for the piped look, otherwise spoon the ganache to fill the tart case.

Add your chosen topping. You can sprinkle with icing sugar or cocoa powder if you like.

Tip – note that tarts including fresh fruits have to be consumed fast before the fruits go bad. The best is to cut the fruits and add them to the tartlets, right before serving. This way it all remains fresh and in good shape.

Store these tartlets in an airtight container in the fridge, for up to a week.

Because individual/mini tartlets are small in size they give the illusion that they are guilt-free! There is nothing innocent about these little cute looking tartlets, they are the maximised indulgence! The rich tart shell and the even richer melt-in-your-mouth Ganache are no players in light eating heaven, they are way up on the other side playing with the full on foods. But hey, occasionally even heaven needs a bit of entertainment!

You can make these tartlets in 3 versions: Dark, Milk or White Chocolate tarts. I usually like to pair white chocolate with berries, I find them to compliment each other’s flavours, also Macadamia Nuts, and rice cereals, or honey brittle all go very well with white chocolate. I like Hazelnuts, walnuts, pistachios and almonds with milk chocolate. And would choose candied fruits, or Maraschino Cherries for the the dark chocolate tartlets. But I also mix and match according to mood. Go ahead and find your own flavours, you will like your tartlets better that way.

 

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