Mocha Tartlets Recipes

MOCHA TARTLETS

Steps:

• Make custard:
• Beat together yolks, sugar, cornstarch, and a pinch of salt in a bowl with an electric mixer until thick and pale, about 1 minute. Heat milk in a 2-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat until hot but not boiling. Add one third of hot milk to yolk mixture in a slow stream, whisking constantly. Pour remainder of milk into yolk mixture, whisking, then transfer to saucepan. Simmer, whisking constantly, until very thick, 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat and add chocolate, liqueur, butter, and espresso powder. Let stand until chocolate is melted, about 1 minute, then whisk until smooth. Force custard through a fine sieve into a bowl. Cover surface of custard with wax paper and chill until cold, at least 4 hours.
• Make tartlet shells while custard chills:
• Pulse together flour, sugar, salt, butter, egg, and vanilla in a food processor until dough is smooth and begins to form a ball (it will be soft, like cookie dough). Turn out dough onto a sheet of plastic wrap and gather into a ball. Flatten dough into a disk and chill, wrapped in plastic wrap, until firm, at least 30 minutes and up to 8 hours (overnight).
• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Break off 1-teaspoon pieces of dough and press evenly into molds with floured fingers to form shells about 1/16 inch thick, pinching off excess from rim and making bottoms slightly thinner than sides. Arrange molds 1 inch apart in a shallow baking pan and chill until dough is firm again, about 30 minutes.
• Bake in middle of oven, rotating pan halfway through baking, until pale golden, 12 to 15 minutes total. Transfer molds to a rack to cool, then carefully remove shells from molds. Make more tartlet shells in same manner if desired.
• Assemble tartlets:
• Fill pastry bag with custard and pipe decoratively into shells.

FROZEN MOCHA TORTE

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine the wafer crumbs, sugar and butter. Press onto the bottom and 1 in. up the sides of a greased 9-in. springform pan; set aside., In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, milk and chocolate syrup until smooth. Dissolve coffee granules in hot water; add to cream cheese mixture. Fold in whipped cream. Pour over crust. Cover and freeze for 8 hours or overnight. , Remove from the freezer 10-15 minutes before serving. Carefully run a knife around edge of pan to loosen. Remove sides of pan. Garnish with coffee beans if desired.

MOCHA MACAROON TORTE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Cut cookie dough in half crosswise. Cut each section in half lengthwise. Press dough in bottom of ungreased 10 or 9-inch springform pan. Bake at 350 for 12 to 18 minutes or until light golden brown. Remove partially baked crust from oven. Cool 10 minutes.
• While crust is cooling, beat cream cheese in medium bowl until light and fluffy. Add egg; beat until smooth. Add coconut, 1/4 cup sugar, coffee and vanilla; blend well. Stir in 1/3 cup chocolate chips. Spoon and carefully spread mixture over crust. Sprinkle with all topping ingredients.
• Return to oven; bake an additional 30 to 45 minutes or until filling is set and edges are golden brown. Cool 10 minutes. Run knife around sides of pan to loosen; carefully remove sides of pan. Cool 1 hour. Refrigerate 1 to 2 hours or until chilled. If desired, serve with French vanilla ice cream, or frozen yogurt and chocolate-covered coffee beans. Store in refrigerator.

MOCHA TRUFFLE TARTLETS

Steps:

• Open phyllo shells, leaving shells in tray; set aside.
• In a small saucepan melt the 1-1/2 cups dark chocolate and whipping cream over low heat, stirring occasionally.
• Divide melted chocolate mixture evenly among the bottoms of the phyllo shells; set aside.
• In a medium mixing bowl, stir together brown sugar, coffee liqueur, espresso powder, and vanilla; stir until espresso powder dissolves.
• Add cream cheese and stir until well combined.
• Spoon a small amount of cream cheese mixture over chocolate mixture in each shell (Or, place cream cheese mixture in a resealable plastic bag, cut off a small piece of one corner, and pipe cheese mixture onto chocolate filling.)
• Cover tartlets loosely and chill until set (about 30 minutes).
• Once set, tartlets can be covered tightly and chilled overnight.
• Remove tartlets 30 minutes before serving.
• Sprinkle each lightly with a little cocoa powder.
• If desired, top each with chopped coffee beans or chopped chocolate.
• Makes 30 tartlets.

FROZEN CAFé-MOCHACCINO TART

Steps:

• Crust: In a food processor, pulse flour, sugar, salt, and cocoa to combine. Add butter; pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal with some pea-size pieces remaining. Stir together yolk and cream; drizzle over flour mixture, pulsing several times to combine. Transfer mixture to a 9-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom, pressing evenly into bottom and up sides. Refrigerate until firm, about 20 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Prick bottom of crust at 1-inch intervals with the tines of a fork. Bake until set and dry, about 15 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack.
• Meanwhile, temper both ice creams in refrigerator until softened but not melting, about 20 minutes. Stir together ice creams until no streaks remain; transfer to cooled crust, spreading all the way to edges and smoothing top with an offset spatula. Freeze until firm, about 1 hour (or wrap in plastic at this point and freeze up to 1 week).
• Caramel Meringue: In a small saucepan, combine 6 tablespoons sugar, salt, and 1 tablespoon water. Cover; cook over medium heat, swirling a few times, until boiling and sugar has dissolved, about 5 minutes. Uncover; continue boiling, undisturbed, until mixture turns medium amber, about 3 minutes more. Remove from heat. Carefully add cream (it will bubble and splatter); stir until smooth. Transfer to a heatproof bowl.
• Combine egg whites, remaining 3/4 cup sugar, and cream of tartar in a heatproof mixer bowl set over (but not in) a pot of simmering water. Whisk constantly just until mixture is warm to the touch and sugar has dissolved (it should feel smooth when rubbed between your fingers). Remove from heat; beat on high speed until stiff peaks form and mixture is no longer warm to the touch, 7 to 9 minutes.
• Reduce speed to low and beat in a scant 1/4 cup caramel just to combine (do not overmix; caramel will still be warm). Spoon meringue over ice cream and freeze until firm, at least 4 hours (tart can be wrapped in plastic at this point and frozen up to 3 days). Cover and refrigerate remaining caramel until ready to serve.
• Remove tart from pan; transfer to a cake plate. Drizzle top with remaining caramel (or serve alongside); sprinkle with cocoa nibs or decorate with chocolate espresso beans. Cut into wedges, dipping knife blade in hot water and wiping clean between each cut to ensure clean slices.

WARM MOCHA TART

Steps:

• Special Equipment Needed: 9 1/2-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom.
• Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F.
• To make the tart crust: Mix the melted butter, sugar, salt and vanilla in a medium bowl. Add the flour and mix just until well blended. Don't worry if the dough seems too soft. Press all of the dough very thinly and evenly into the bottom and up the sides of the tart pan.
• Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the crust is a deep golden brown.
• Meanwhile, make the filling: Place the butter, sugar, cocoa powder and cream in a medium saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring, until the mixture is blended and smooth and begins to bubble around the edges. Remove from the heat and stir or whisk in the espresso or coffee powder and vanilla.
• Just before the crust is ready, whisk the egg thoroughly into the hot chocolate mixture.
• Pour the filling into the hot crust and turn off the oven. Leave the tart in the oven until it quivers like tender Jell-O in the center when the pan is nudged, 10 to 12 minutes. Cool on a rack.
• Serve the tart warm or at room temperature.
• Chocolate Note: Either natural or Dutch-process cocoa works well here. The former has a livelier, more complex, fruity flavor, while the latter has a cozy old-fashioned flavor reminiscent of chocolate pudding.

DARK MOCHA TORTE

Steps:

• first make the pastry. sift the flour, baking powder, cocoa powder and icing sugar into a bowl. Rub in butter until crumbly. Quickly mix in the eggs until everything comes together with the blade of a knife. Wrap in cling film. Chill for 30 mins. Roll out pastry and line a 21cm fluted loose-bottom tart tin. Chill for 20 mins. Heat oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6.
• line the pastry case with parchment paper, fill with baking beans and bake blind for 15 mins. Remove beans and cook for a further 5 mins. Remove from oven and reduce temperature to 150C/fan 130C/gas 2.
• To make the filling, melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water or in the microwave on High for 1-2 mins, then cool. Beat the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy, then gradually beat in the eggs, yolk, nuts and flour. Fold in the chocolate and coffee, pour into the case and bake for 25-30 mins, until crumbs cling to an inserted skewer (the middle of the torte won't have set completely; it will continue to firm up out of the oven). Serve cut into thin slices, topped with crème fraîche or cream.

MOCHA CUSTARD TART

Steps:

• Make crust:
• Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F. Spray 10-inch-diameter springform pan with vegetable oil spray. Wrap outside of pan tightly with double layer of heavy-duty foil. Finely grind cookies and walnuts in processor. Add melted butter; process to blend. Press mixture firmly onto bottom (not sides) of pan. Chill crust while making filling.
• Make filling:
• Bring whipping cream, milk and 1/3 cup water to simmer in heavy small saucepan. Remove from heat. Whisk in cocoa powder, chocolate liqueur, espresso powder and vanilla extract.
• Using electric mixer, beat cream cheese in large bowl until smooth. Add sugar and beat until well blended. Add 4 whole eggs 1 at a time, then 2 yolks, beating well after each addition and occasionally scraping bottom and sides of bowl. Gradually add hot cream-cocoa mixture and beat until smooth. Pour mixture into prepared crust. Place springform pan in large roasting pan. Pour enough boiling water into roasting pan to come halfway up sides of springform pan.
• Bake tart until custard moves just slightly in center when pan is gently shaken and tester inserted into center comes out with some custard still attached, about 1 hour 20 minutes. Remove pan from water; remove foil. Cool tart in pan on rack. Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight.
• Make ganache:
• Bring first 4 ingredients to simmer in heavy small saucepan. Remove from heat. Add chocolate and vanilla extract; whisk until chocolate is melted and smooth. Let ganache stand until slightly cooled but still pourable, about 10 minutes.
• Run small knife around pan sides to loosen tart. Remove pan sides. Place tart on platter. Pour ganache atop tart. Using thin metal spatula, spread ganache evenly over top of tart, being careful not to allow ganache to drip down sides. Using icing comb or tines of fork, make decorative concentric circles in wave pattern in ganache. Garnish top of tart with chocolate coffee bean candies, if desired. Refrigerate until ganache is softly set, about 15 minutes. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and keep chilled. Let stand at room temperature 45 minutes before serving.) Cut tart into wedges; serve.