These Raspberry Chocolate Tartlets are the perfect mini dessert to serve for an afternoon tea party, a dinner party, a special occasion or Valentine's Day! They combine homemade tartlet shells, a dark chocolate ganache filling and some fresh raspberries.
Place the sifted Flour, Icing Sugar and Salt in the bowl of your food processor. Pulse for a few seconds to mix, then add the very cold Butter cut into small cubes. Mix until you get fine crumbs of butter (see note 1).
Add the Egg and mix until a rough dough starts to come together (see note 2).
Place the pastry over a large sheet of baking paper and bring together into a ball. Cover with a second sheet of baking / parchment paper then roll to a thickness of about 4 mm (1/8 inch). Put in the fridge to rest and chill for at least 1 hour, or up to 24 hours.
Remove the baking paper and cut out disks of pastry that are a bit larger than the tartlet pans you are using (see note 3). Line the tartlet pans with the pastry, pressing gently on the sides to slide it down (see note 4). Dock the bottom of the pastry with a fork.
Place the tartlets shells back in the fridge to chill for at least one hour, or up to 24 hours then preheat your oven on 160'c/325'f.
Cover each crust with a little bit of baking paper then fill with baking weights, dried beans or rice. Bake for 15 minutes then remove the weights and baking paper and bake for an additional 10 minutes. Leave to cool down completely.
Chocolate & Raspberry Filling
Place the finely chopped Chocolate (or chocolate callets) in a heat-proof mixing bowl. Heat up the cream in a small saucepan on a medium heat until it starts to simmer.
Pour half of it over the chocolate. Let it sit for 2 to 3 minutes, then stir with a stiff spatula or silicone spatula in a circular motion to mix the melted chocolate. Pour the rest of the hot Cream over the Chocolate and continue to stir until fully melted, smooth and shiny (see note 5).
Pour the chocolate ganache in the tartlet shells while still warm, either with a pastry bag or with a spoon. Gently tap the tartlet over a hard surface to pop any air bubble and help the ganache spread evenly.
While the ganache is still soft, press in the Raspberries (I used 3 per tartlet).
Place in the refrigerator to set for at least an hour (or until the ganache has set) - or up to 24 hours before serving.
Optionally, finish with a little bit of icing sugar and fresh Mint leaves.
Video
Notes
If you do not have a food processor, you can find the instructions to make the Tartlet Pastry dough by hands in my Pâte Sablée recipe.
The larger the crumbs, the flakier the pastry will be. In this case, we do not want too much flakiness so make sure the crumbs are very small.
Don't worry if it seems crumbly, it will come together when you roll it. To know the pastry has been mixed enough, press together some of the crumbs in your hand. If they stick together and turn into a smooth dough, it is ready. If after mixing the dough still does not seem to be coming together, you might have to add a little bit of cold water (one tablespoon at the time). It could happen if the egg you used was too small.
I used these Mini Tart Pans that are 7 cm (1/4 inch) wide and cut out the disks of pastry to be about 10 to 12 cm (3/8 to 1/2 inch) wide.
Optionally, use a stiff straw (or similar utensil) to press on each fluted edge in order to define their shape more. If the pastry dough seems a bit stiff, let it come back to room temperature first. The butter will soften and it will be easier to line the tins. If the pastry become too soft and starts to break, put it back in the fridge for a few minutes.
Using a spatula rather than a whisk insures you do not create too many air bubbles inside the ganache If the cream is not as hot the second time, you might want to heat it up again slightly. If after adding all the cream, the chocolate is still not fully melted, place it over a double boiler to finish melting it.