Walnut Tartlets With Chocolate Ganache Filling Recipes

CHOCOLATE GANACHE TART

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Make dough: In a food processor, pulse almonds until finely ground. Add sugar, flour, and salt; pulse until combined. Add butter, pulsing until coarse crumbs form with no large butter lumps (dough should clump together when pinched with fingers).
• Immediately transfer dough to a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Using a measuring cup, evenly press dough into the bottom and up the sides of pan.
• Bake in center of oven until golden brown and firm to the touch, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely, about 1 hour.
• Make ganache: Place chocolate in a large mixing bowl. In a small saucepan, bring cream to a boil. Pour hot cream, through a sieve, over chocolate. Stir until smooth and creamy in texture. Mix in vanilla.
• Pour chocolate mixture into center of cooled tart shell (if chocolate is lumpy, pass through a sieve). Let stand until set, about 2 hours, or refrigerate for 1 hour. Serve with whipped cream, if desired.

CHOCOLATE-WALNUT FILLING

Steps:

• Cream butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy. Beat in walnuts and salt until combined. Beat in chocolate. Use immediately.

CHOCOLATE WALNUT TART

Steps:

• On a lightly floured surface, roll out pastry to fit an 11-in. fluted tart pan with removable bottom. Transfer pastry to pan; trim edges. Sprinkle with chocolate chips and walnuts. In a small bowl, whisk the eggs, corn syrup, brown sugar, butter and vanilla. Pour over chips and nuts., Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. Serve with whipped cream if desired.

CARAMEL-WALNUT TART WITH CHOCOLATE GLAZE

Steps:

• For crust:
• Blend flour, almonds, walnuts, and salt in processor until nuts are finely ground. Add powdered sugar and combine using on/off turns. Add butter; using on/off turns, cut in until coarse meal forms. With machine running, slowly add egg. Blend until moist clumps form. Gather dough into ball; flatten into disk. Wrap in plastic and chill 30 minutes.
• Roll out dough on lightly floured surface to 14-inch round. Transfer dough to 10-inch-diameter tart pan with removable bottom. Trim excess dough flush with top edge of pan. Pierce bottom of dough all over with fork. Chill 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 325°F. Bake crust until golden, about 35 minutes. Transfer to rack and cool completely. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and let stand at room temperature.)
• For filling:
• Place sugar, 1/2 cup water, and corn syrup in heavy large saucepan. Stir over low heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat and boil without stirring until syrup is deep amber color, occasionally brushing down sides of pan with wet pastry brush and swirling pan, about 8 minutes. Remove from heat. Whisk in butter and cream (mixture will bubble vigorously). When bubbling subsides, whisk in crème fraîche. Cool caramel until beginning to thicken. Stir in walnuts. Pour caramel into prepared crust. Let stand 15 minutes to spread.
• For chocolate glaze:
• Bring cream to boil in medium saucepan. Remove from heat. Add chocolate and stir until melted and smooth. Cool 5 minutes. Pour enough glaze over caramel to cover and fill tart to just below edge of crust (reserve remaining glaze for another use). Let stand until set, about 2 hours. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Bring to room temperature before serving.)

CHOCOLATE GANACHE TARTS

Steps:

• In a small bowl, beat butter and cream cheese until smooth; beat in flour. Drop dough by scant tablespoonfuls into greased miniature muffin cups; with well-floured hands, press dough onto bottoms and up sides of cups., Bake at 325° for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely., Place chocolate chips in a small bowl. In a small saucepan, bring cream just to a boil. Pour over chocolate; whisk until smooth. Transfer to a small bowl; cover and refrigerate until firm., Beat chocolate mixture until soft peaks form. Pipe or spoon into tart shells. Garnish with whipped cream, raspberries and confectioners' sugar if desired.

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.

CHOCOLATE WALNUT TORTE WITH RICH GANACHE

Steps:

• Tortes:.
• Place a rack in the center of the over and preheat to 375 degrees. Lightly grease the insides of 3 soup cans. Place the cans on a piece of parchment paper and trace the circumference of each. Cut out 3 rounds of parchment and line the bottom of each can with a round. Place the prepared cans on a baking sheet and set aside.
• Place the chocolate in a small bowl and microwave on medium until the chocolate begins to melt, about 1 minute. Then stir until smooth. Let cool.
• Place the walnuts and flour in a food processor and process until the walnuts are finely ground but not oily, about 10 to 15 seconds.
• Place the butter and sugar in a medium mixing bowl and beat until cramy. Add the egg yolks one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla with the last yolk. Reduce the mixer speed to low and beat in the melted chocolate until blended, about 10 to 15 seconds. Using a wooden spatula, gently stir in the ground walnut mixture.
• Wash the mixer beaters and dry them thoroughly. Place the egg whites, salt and cream of tartar in a small bowl and beat on high until the whites hold stiff peaks, about 60 to 90 seconds. Fold the egg-white mixture thoroughly but gently into the chocolate mixture.
• Spoon the batter into the prepared cans, dividing it evenly among them. Bake the cakes until a toothpick inserted into the center of one comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Remove the cans from the oven and place them on a wire rack to cool.
• When the cakes have cooled, invert the cans over the wire rack to release them. Peel off the parchment paper and place the cakes upright on the racks.
• Ganache:.
• Pour the cream into a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Immediately remove the pan from the heat and add the chocolate.
• Let the mixture stand until the chocolate softens, about 1 minute, then stir with a whisk until the chocolate is melted.
• Allow the ganache to cool slightly, then pour about 3 tablespoons of lukewarm ganache over each cake, using a spatual to smooth the icing all over.
• Let the Cakes stand until the ganache is firm, about 1 hour. The Tortes will keep, covered, in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days.