Chocolate ganache custard tart

A few weeks ago, I made two tart shells and stocked them in the freezer.  I used the first for that lovely lemon tart and I had plans for that second crust and it was for a chocolate tart - a chocolate ganache custard tart, to be exact.  This is a recipe I've wanted to try for a while ever since I made my first tart last summer because I simply love all things chocolate.  Plus, like the lemon tart, this is another delectable yet simple French dessert we can make and enjoy at home.

I started with that simple, no-roll tart shell.  This time, I pressed the dough into a rectangular, 13 3/4 by 4 1/2-inch, tart pan (I knew I'd use that pan one of these days!).  When you have the tart shell ready to go, the filling is quite simple, calling for four ingredients.

This is all about the chocolate and there are ten ounces of it in this tart, which can serve 10 people.  I used a mix of bittersweet and semisweet chocolate since that's what I had on hand.  Instead of heavy cream, I opted for half-and-half to cut down on some of the fat.  I think the half-and-half provides enough richness but you can certainly use heavy cream if you want the full on effect.  For a chocolate ganache tart, the filling (or ganache=chocolate and cream mixture) would simply be poured into a baked tart shell and then chilled.  Some professionals actually use a hot air gun to get rid of air bubbles on top of the ganache once it's been poured into the tart shell.  I'm perfectly content with some air bubbles on mine but it does explain those perfectly smooth surfaces.

In this case, we're making a custard tart so we whisk an egg and egg yolk into the ganache (chocolate and half-and-half, in this case), along with a dash of vanilla extract before baking in the oven for about 20 minutes.

What you end up with is an elegant dessert fit for a dinner party.  The chocolate custard filling is decadent, delicious, and deep in chocolate flavor, with an added bonus of a buttery, crisp crust.  It isn't too sweet, particularly when you use a chocolate with a high cacoa percentage, but it is a luxuriously chocolaty way to end a meal.  

I really like the idea of a tart like this for a dinner party since it's something you can make earlier in the day and there's something special about a tart, particularly homemade.  A group can help polish off this tart, which should be eaten, ideally, the day it's made since the tart shell loses its fresh crispness after refrigeration.  The center, though, gets fudgier and stays delicious, in my opinion.

If you are a chocolate-lover, I think you'll enjoy this dessert and appreciate the magic that is chocolate ganache.  The filling is like a set pot de crème.  It's smooth and almost fudgey in texture.  I strongly recommend a scoop of vanilla ice cream to go with a slice of this tart.  When the two mix together, the center tastes like molten chocolate cake and you didn't need to bake it at the last minute.  If you skip the ice cream, maybe a sprinkle of sea salt over the top would be interesting.

Mini fruit tarts for moms

Happy Mother's Day!  For all loving, hardworking, well-meaning moms out there, I wish you a very happy day, and I hope you'll celebrate in a way that brings you a lot of joy.

I feel very lucky to have my family and to be able to celebrate Mother's Day as a mom myself.  For me, this day is a reminder to continue to strive towards being a better mom.  Of course, it's also another lovely occasion to sit down with my family for a celebratory meal or two.  What's a holiday without a good meal - It wouldn't be right without it!  So I'm off to have brunch with my "men" in the morning and then I'm looking forward to a rousing dinner in the evening with my own mom and extended family.  It also happens to be my nephew's 9th birthday so we have lots to celebrate!

Mother's Day is a great reason to make something pretty.  I decided this was a perfect occasion to make some mini fruit tarts - these are great for moms and anyone, really!

Personally, I may prefer a mini chocolate cake over a mini fruit tart typically but there's something about these colorful tarts that seem right for the occasion.  I made my first fruit tart last summer and was really surprised by how much I enjoyed it (I'm not a big fruit dessert person).  The crisp tart shell, the cold, creamy pastry cream against slightly tart fruit is a terrific combination.  I've been wanting to make mini versions of them because, frankly, everything is cuter in miniature.  So I turned the standard recipe I've used into six tartlets and shared them with a few of my favorite moms.  And I do mean a few; I know many great moms but obviously couldn't give one to everyone I wanted to.

Happy Mother's Day!  I send you virtual mini fruit tarts and flowers.

Lemon tart - inspired by Paris

You'd think that after coming home from Paris, I'd be filled with inspiration on the baking front.  That actually wasn't the case.  When I first got back, I wasn't feeling much motivation to go into the kitchen although I was craving many of those wonderful pastries we ate while we were there.  I kept wishing we were still in Paris and could walk to a pâtisserie to pick up an amazing croissant, tart or eclair.

But I'm happy to report that those initial feelings of lethargy passed fairly quickly.  Reality set in.  I do not live in Paris (but very close to New York City, which is not too shabby either) and I still love to putter around in the kitchen, playing with flour.  If anything, the trip has given me more focus - to take my time and make what I think my family and I would really like to eat and explore. 

Now, I sit here with some ideas and inspirations from Paris.  The first thing I did was make this lemon tart, or tarte au citron since we're in a French mood.  I talked about the delicious lemon tarts I tasted in Paris and I now know why the French are known for their citrus tarts.  The flavor of a lemon tart is decidedly lemon, rather than sugary sweet.  I really wanted to recapture and enjoy that flavor again so I made this lemon tart recipe from David Lebovitz, who I consider a great, approachable source on pastry and French living.

One of the things about French pastry you notice right away is the artistry.  It's not just cake but many of the creations are miniature works of art as far as flavor, textures, and the layers involved.  At the same time, though, the French excel at simplicity, using high quality ingredients, not messing around with it too much, to create something delicious.  I find that duality really interesting.  For me, I'm certainly more at home sticking with the simple but delicious, which brings me back to this tart. 

I started with what I think is the simplest tart shell there is and filled it with a fairly modest amount of lemony lemon curd.  The whole thing is quite simple to put together, especially if you do what I did and make the tart shell (up to a month) in advance, store it in the freezer, and have it ready to bake the day you plan to put the whole thing together.  The lemon curd is simply cooked over the stovetop, with an equal ratio of 1/2 cup of lemon juice to sugar so that you have a delightfully lemon result.  Most recipes call for a lot more sugar and I'm happy to report that the end result here was not too tart and the taste was very reminiscent of the tart I ate from La Maison Paul so it really brought back a happy memory for me.

When it comes to the filling, I highly recommend using organic lemons if possible.  Take a sniff of the organic variety and you'll know what I mean.  Before making this, I wrestled with whether or not to make a bit more of the lemon filling.  Ultimately, I decided to stick with the recipe and make the modest amount, which I think is perfectly suitable to everyday eating.  For me, the relatively thin layer of filling was just right.  I didn't walk away from the table feeling like I over-indulged.

Incidentally, I highly recommend a cup of hot coffee to go with a slice of this tart.  My husband and I were sharing the last slice I'd tucked away in the fridge one morning (yes, morning) and it was particularly delightful with coffee.

Blueberry and raspberry tart

This berry tart falls into the "did I make that?" category.  For me, this is totally out of the box.  First of all, if I'm ordering dessert, I always go with chocolate if it's an option even though I may admire the other pretty selections that feature colorful fruits and things.  Chocolate is the non-human thing I love the most.  Secondly, I am not a fan of fruit tarts (wasn't, anyway).  How can that be possible?  I don't know.  I am a serious creature of habit and not very adventurous, to tell you the truth. 

But I want to like pretty things and with this blog, I want to learn how to create things I haven't made before even if it's just baking a tart or a pie.  And I had a great time making and assembling this blueberry and raspberry tart.  After making the tart shell and pastry cream, this tart comes together in a snap.  It is really awesome to make something tasty and "aesthetically pleasing" (I used to have a boss who would call my spreadsheets "aesthetically pleasing") from nothing.  

Maybe I'm like a child who helps in the kitchen to prepare a meal and is then more willing to eat the food.  I made and vigorously ate this fruit tart and found it surprisingly delicious.  I'd still go with chocolate when it comes time to order dessert but now I know why so many people like my sister love fruit desserts so much.  And my sister, the fruit tart expert in the family, sampled my tart and loved it.  I felt so proud of myself!

And this is kind of my farewell to the season.  Summer is slipping away.  I wanted to make this berry tart for July 4th but didn't get around to it.  Here we are near the end of August and I'm glad to have gotten it done and learned something new in the process.  I hope you have been having a great summer.  When I was a kid, I loved winter best among all the seasons.  As I get older, I enjoy the warm weather more and more (and I'm constantly feeling cold).  I love being able to get ready to go out with my son in less than 2 minutes.  Pretty soon, there will be jackets, hats, gloves and boots to contend with.  At the same time, I love the change in seasons when Fall comes and it gives us a chance to catch our breath from the hectic social schedule of the summer.  I'm already looking forward to the holidays but that's just me. 

The easiest tart shell

I think this must be the easiest tart shell recipe and I'm devoting a separate post to it so I can refer to it in the future; I know I'll be using this recipe again and again.  You don't have to roll out the dough and there's no need to use pie weights.  Does it sound too good to be true?  I thought so too but sure enough, it worked just like it should and the result is a delicious, crunchy, shortbread cookie-like tart crust. 

I love the fluted edges around a tart shell.  The crust releases beautifully using a tart pan with a removeable bottom.

I've raved about David Lebovitz's book, Ready for Dessert; My Best Recipes, in the past and this is another recipe from the book.  I think this cookbook might be my best investment yet. 

The dough for the tart literally comes together in about three minutes.  The tart dough may also be referred to as pate sucree for sweet dough in French because that's just what it is, a sweet and buttery dough.  Because you can simply press the dough into the tart pan with your hands, there's no mess with a rolling pin and flour on your countertop.  The dough gets frozen for at least an hour and because it's frozen, you do not need to weigh it down with pie weights when baking.  Genius! 

Baked for about 20-25 minutes until it turns a dark golden brown color, the crust did not shrink (a common problem I've read about) and is crisp and sweet with a shortbread cookie taste.  This tart shell can be used as the foundation for many desserts.