Cocoa Tartlet Shells Recipes

FLUFFY COCOA TARTS

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine the cream cheese, sour cream, sugar and lemon juice until smooth. Stir in cocoa mix. Fold in whipped topping. , Spoon into tart shells. Sprinkle with peanuts and chocolate chips. Cover and refrigerate until serving.

COCOA TARTLET SHELLS

Steps:

• Into a bowl sift together flour, confectioners' sugar, cocoa powder, salt, and baking soda and with a pastry blender or your fingertips blend in butter until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add 1 tablespoon ice water, tossing mixture with a fork until water is incorporated, and add enough remaining ice water, 1/2 tablespoon at a time, tossing to incorporate, so that mixture begins to form a dough. Form dough into a ball and divide into 6 pieces. Form each piece into a ball and flatten to form a disk. Wrap each disk in plastic wrap and chill 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 375°F.
• Roll out 1 piece of dough between 2 sheets of plastic wrap into a 5-inch round (about 1/8 inch thick). Discard top sheet of plastic wrap and invert dough onto a 3 1/2-inch tartlet pan (1 inch deep), discarding remaining sheet of plastic wrap. Fit dough into pan and trim flush with edge of pan, pressing dough gently against side of pan. Prick bottom of shell with a fork and chill while preparing remaining shells. Make and chill 5 more shells with remaining dough in same manner.
• Line shells with foil and bake on a baking sheet in middle of oven 10 minutes. Remove foil and bake shells until cooked through, about 5 minutes more (pastry will no longer be shiny). Cool shells in pans on a rack. Shells may be made 3 days ahead and kept in pans in airtight containers.

TART SHELL

Steps:

• Cream butter and sugar in a mixer with paddle. Slowly add egg yolks, beaten egg half, and vanilla. Add flour and mix until just combined. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill at least 2 hours. Remove from refrigerator, unwrap and roll on a floured surface into a 3/8-inch thick circle. Drape into an 11 or 12-inch tart pan and press into corners. Line pastry with parchment paper and fill with dried beans or pie weights and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes until light brown. While still warm, remove weights and parchment paper and brush slightly with a beaten egg white, taking care not to use too much and to only brush the inside of the shell. Let tart shell rest at room temperature until ready to fill.;

CHOCOLATE GANACHE TARTLETS WITH SWEET CHERRIES

Steps:

• In a small saucepan bring 3/4 cup cream just to a boil. Reduce heat to low and add chocolate, stirring until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. Pour 3/4 cup mixture into a bowl, reserving remainder in pan for glazing tartlets. Add 1/3 cup cream to mixture in bowl, stirring until ganache is combined well. Chill ganache until thick and cold, about 1 hour.
• In a small bowl whisk remaining 1/3 cup cream until just stiff. With an electric mixer beat chilled ganache until light and fluffy, about 30 seconds (do not overbeat or it will become grainy). Remove tartlet shells from tartlet pans (use a thin, flexible knife to help remove shells if necessary). Fold whipped cream into ganache until combined well and spread in tartlet shells, smoothing tops.
• Heat reserved chocolate mixture over low heat, stirring, until melted and just warm. Working quickly, with 1 tartlet at a time, spoon about 1 tablespoon glaze onto top, tilting tartlet to allow glaze to completely cover filling. Chill tartlets until glaze is set, about 30 minutes. Tartlets may be made 2 days ahead and chilled, wrapped in plastic wrap.
• Serve tartlets with cherries.