Tartelettes Au Chocolat Et Gingembre Confit For Valentines Day
Why I Love This Recipe
Tartelettes au Chocolat et Gingembre Confit
(Chocolate and Candied Ginger Tartlets for Two)
Ingredients You'll Need
2 Tbsp. salted butter, room temperature
• 2 Tbsp. sugar
• 2/3 C. all-purpose flour
• a dash of milk
Filling:
• 1/2 C. whipping-cream
• 2 1/2 oz. dark chocolate
• 2 Tbsp. butter, room temperature, diced
• 3 Tbsp. candied ginger, finely diced -- a little more if you adore ginger, a little less if you want to keep it subtle (see notes at the end of the recipe)
Directions
Start by making the dough for the crust: In a medium mixing-bowl, combine the butter and sugar with a fork until well blended. Add the flour and keep beating with the fork. When the dough forms even dry crumbs, add in a dash of milk and quickly knead the dough with your hands to form a ball.
If the dough does not come together after about a minute, add in a tad more milk and knead again. The idea is to add the milk little by little so you can stop at as soon as the dough holds together. Try not to overwork the dough. If you have enough time, wrap in plastic-wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes to 2 hours.
Divide the dough in two equal pieces, roll them out into circles (make it as thin as you can) and gently line the tart tins. You should have some dough left over -- you can refrigerate or freeze it and bake crisp little cookies some other time.
Prick the bottoms of the tart shells with a fork to prevent the dough from rising. Bake for ten to fifteen minutes or until golden brown. Keep a close eye on them. Turn out on a rack to cool completely.
Cut the ginger in small dice, and reserve two pretty pieces for garnish. Arrange the rest evenly on the bottom of the tart shells.
Prepare the ganache: Grate the chocolate finely and set aside in a medium mixing-bowl, along with the diced butter. In a small saucepan, bring the whipping-cream to a simmer. Pour half of it on the chocolate and butter, and whisk until completely melted with no lumps. Whisk in the rest of the cream little by little just until the ganache turns shiny and smooth (you may not need all of the cream).
Pour the ganache into the tart shells carefully and even out the surface with the back of a spoon. Top each tart with a reserved piece of ginger. Refrigerate for at least one hour, until completely set.
Take out of the fridge 15 minutes before serving. Ganache is very rich so I recommend serving these tartlets on their own, but you can also serve them with a dollop of yogurt.
Note 1: Candied ginger also goes by the name of crystallized ginger. It can be found in gourmet stores, in Oriental or Asian grocery stores, or in your supermarket's produce section.
Note 2: Not everyone loves ginger. If you think this may be the case for you or the person you will be sharing these with, or if you're unable to locate candied ginger, you will also have great results using candied orange peel, dried apricots or candied