Best Hot Chocolate Tart Recipes

PECAN TART WITH MEXICAN HOT CHOCOLATE AND CREME FRAICHE ICE CREAM

Steps:

• For the pie dough: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Place the flour, salt and butter in a food processor and blend until it comes to a pea-size crumble. Dump that mixture out into a bowl and pour 5 tablespoons cold water in. Mix to bind it with your hands just until it comes together, then wrap and let rest for 15 minutes. (Be careful not to overmix your dough to form gluten.)
• Roll the dough out to 1/8-inch thick on a floured surface, then press into a 10-inch fluted tart pan, being careful to get all the edges pressed into the corners. Using a fork, poke holes in the dough so it doesn't bubble while baking. Gently lay cheesecloth over the top of the tart and pour in 1 cup of pie weights to blind bake the shell. Bake until blond (light golden brown), 18 to 20 minutes.
• For the filling: Melt the butter in a saucepan and whisk in the brown sugar, corn syrup and vanilla until smooth.
• Combine the cream cheese, orange zest, salt and eggs together in a stand mixer and beat with the whisk attachment on high speed, stopping to scrape down the sides of the mixer once, until smooth and not lumpy, about 3 minutes. On low speed add your hot sugar and butter mixture to your egg and cream cheese mixture. Fold the pecans into the mixture and fill the tart shell.
• Bake until set, 12 to 15 minutes.
• Place the Hot Chocolate on the bottom of a plate in a circular puddle. Dust the top of the tart with powdered sugar, then place over the hot chocolate. Quenelle the Creme Fraiche Ice Cream (form into football shapes) and place it on top of the tart. Garnish with the Candied Orange Zest and potato leaves.
• Place the chocolate in a large bowl and set aside.
• Combine the cream, granulated sugar, corn syrup, vanilla, cinnamon, coriander, salt, allspice, cloves and chile in a saucepot and bring to 180 degrees F. Remove from the heat, strain all of the solids out of the cream mixture and pour over the chocolate.
• Let sit 1 minute, then whisk until it all comes together.
• Mix together the egg yolks, whole eggs, granulated sugar and salt in a bowl and whisk well.
• Combine the cream, crème fraiche and milk in a pot over medium heat and bring to 180 degrees F.
• Temper the hot cream into your egg mixture by adding a small amount of the hot cream to the egg mixture, whisking constantly, then whisking the egg mixture into the hot cream, whisking constantly. Let cool to room temperature, then strain.
• Pour the custard into the ice cream machine.
• Run the machine according to its instructions until thick and creamy, about 20 minutes. Remove from the machine and let it set up the rest of the way in the freezer, about 4 hours.
• Peel zests from the orange with a peeler.
• Roll the zests up and cut them into chiffonade strips.
• Mix the raw sugar together with 1/2 cup granulated sugar on a tray and set aside.
• Stir together the remaining cup granulated sugar with 1/3 cup water in a pot and wipe the sides of the pot down with a wet hand. Bring this solution up to 242 degrees F.
• Throw the orange zests into the pot and swirl the pot a few times. Take off the heat.
• Strain through a sieve to retrieve the orange zests. Immediately throw the orange zests into the sugar mixture and toss quickly so that they separate and crystalize in the sugar.
• Transfer zests to parchment paper and let harden, about 1 hour.

HOT CHOCOLATE TART

Steps:

• For the Chocolate Sable: This sable crust recipe will provide you with more than enough dough than you need for the Hot Chocolate Tart. You can either cut the recipe in half or make the full amount and freeze the remaining dough for up to two months.
• In a mixer with the paddle attachment on low, mix together the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, and butter, blending until sandy.
• In a separate bowl whisk together the yolks, cream, and vanilla extract. Add to the dry ingredients and mix until dough just comes together. Make into disks, wrap, and chill for two hours.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• Roll out in small batches, as it gets soft fast. With a large round cutter, cut out disks and keep them chilled while you roll and cut the rest of the dough.
• Line 4-inch tart rings with the disks and chill. Line the rings with plastic wrap (that's right!) and fill with rice, then gather the plastic wrap up to contain the rice. Bake for 14 minutes, then remove the rice packets and bake 2 more minutes to crisp. Let cool slightly while you make the filling.
• To make the filling: Melt the chocolate and butter over simmering water.
• Meanwhile, whisk together the eggs and yolks. Whisk in the powdered sugar to the egg mixture until most of the lumps are gone. Whisk in the melted chocolate mixture, and lastly, the flour.
• Pour filling into tart shells and bake for 8 minutes. The center should still shimmy and be loose and melted.
• Serve immediately sprinkled with powdered sugar and cocoa powder and ice cream or whipped cream.