Bittersweet Chocolate Tarts with Pecan Crusts

  1. Preheat the oven to 425F.
  2. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and let sit for about 10 minutes.
  3. Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and roll 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick.
  4. Cut the dough to fit the tart pan(s) and press and mold the dough to create shells.
  5. Refrigerate for about 30 minutes.
  6. Remove from the refrigerator, weight with pie weights, and prebake the shell(s) (see Know-How, page 345).
  7. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
  8. Reduce the temperature to 350F.
  9. Combine the sugar, cocoa, and salt in a heavy-bottomed saucepan and stir to mix.
  10. Combine 1 cup of the milk with the cornstarch.
  11. Stir until the cornstarch is dissolved and the mixture is smooth and add to the saucepan.
  12. Place the saucepan over medium heat and cook and stir just until the sugar dissolves, about 1 minute.
  13. Remove from the heat.
  14. Separate the eggs, reserving the whites, and whisk the yolks in a bowl with the remaining 1 cup milk.
  15. Stir a small amount of the cocoa-milk mixture into the yolk mixture to temper the eggs.
  16. Slowly whisk the yolk mixture back into the cocoa-milk mixture and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens and bubbles around the edges, about 3 minutes.
  17. Remove from the heat and add the chocolate, butter, and vanilla, stirring until the chocolate and butter melt.
  18. Divide the filling evenly between the tart shell(s).
  19. Place on a rimmed baking sheet and set aside.
  20. Place the reserved egg whites, cream of tartar, and salt in a glass or metal bowl and beat with an electric mixture on medium speed until light and frothy.
  21. Increase the speed to high and beat to soft peaks.
  22. Slowly add the sugar, beating constantly, until the whites are shiny and hold stiff peaks, about 3 minutes.
  23. Do not beat the whites past this point or they will separate and become grainy.
  24. Divide the meringue between the tarts, spreading with a spatula or piping with a pastry bag, and covering the custard completely to prevent the meringues from shrinking when baked.
  25. Form peaks by repeatedly drawing a knife or spatula across the meringue and then in an upward motion, or by piping with a pastry bag and ending with an upward motion.
  26. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes for a large tart or 5 to 7 minutes for small tarts, until the tips of the meringues are golden brown.
  27. Remove from the oven and let cool 10 minutes.
  28. Remove the sides of the tart pans by carefully lifting the tart from the center of the pan base; the ring should slide right off.
  29. Serve.
  30. Combine the flour, confectioners sugar, and salt in a medium bowl and stir to mix.
  31. Cut the butter into the flour mixture using a pastry blender or two knives in a crosscutting motion until the mixture resembles coarse meal.
  32. Work quickly so the butter remains cool and doesnt melt into the flour.
  33. Stir in the pecans.
  34. Combine the egg yolks, the 3 tablespoons ice water, and the vanilla and stir to mix.
  35. Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and stir with a fork just until the dough begins to clump together and is moist enough to pat together.
  36. Do not mix any more than necessary.
  37. If the dough is dry and crumbly, add more ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, just until the dough comes together; do not add so much water that the dough becomes wet or sticky.
  38. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and, with lightly floured hands, shape the dough into 2 balls.
  39. Form the dough into 2 flat disks, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or for up to 3 days.
  40. Check the tart recipe for special rolling instructions.
  41. To prepare a basic tart shell, remove the dough from the refrigerator and let sit for about 10 minutes.
  42. Place on a lightly floured work surface.
  43. Dust a rolling pin with flour and roll the dough between 1/8 and 1/4 inch thick.
  44. Fold the dough in half or gently roll it onto the rolling pin and lift it over the tart pan.
  45. Press the dough lightly into the bottom and up the sides of the pan.
  46. Trim the excess dough, leaving about 1 inch of dough draped over the pan.
  47. Roll the extra dough under itself to form a rim around the edge of the pan.
  48. Crimp the rim of dough with your fingers or press with the tines of a fork.
  49. Prick the bottom of the crust two or three times with a fork to create small holes.
  50. Cover the crust with plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or up to 3 days, before proceeding with a recipe or partially or fully prebaking the crust (see Know-how, page 345).
  51. Follow the recipe for Bittersweet Chocolate Tarts with Pecan Crusts (page 347), but with the following changes: Spread store-bought dulce de leche in the prebaked tart shells in place of (or in addition to) the chocolate filling.
  52. Just before baking, sprinkle a pinch of your best sea salt on top of the meringues and continue with the original recipe for baking the meringues.
  53. If you know a few basic rules, working with meringue is a breeze.
  54. Eggs separate most readily when they are still cold, but for best results you should wait until the whites come to room temperature before beating them.
  55. Always use a glass or metal bowl for whipping the eggs; plastic bowls tend to be greasier, and this residual grease can weigh the whites down and prevent them from whipping to stiff peaks.
  56. When whipping egg whites, start on medium speed and beat until light and frothy; then increase the speed to high and beat until soft peaks form before slowly adding the sugar and continuing to beat until stiff peaks form, about 3 minutes.
  57. You can test the relative stiffness of the peaks by quickly dipping the beaters or a spatula into the whites.
  58. Soft peaks will curl over and begin to collapse when the beaters are lifted; stiff peaks are glossier and will stick straight up.
  59. Do not beat meringue past the stiff-peaks stage or it will separate and become grainy.
  60. Cream of tartar is often added because its high acid content helps stabilize meringue; the same effect can be achieved by adding a teaspoon or so of equally acidic lemon juice.
  61. Wait to add sugar and any other flavoring agents until after youve beaten the egg whites to soft peaks; adding the sugar too soon will prevent expansion.
  62. Add the sugar slowly and beat constantly until the sugar is completely dissolved.
  63. When topping a pie with meringue, mound the meringue in the center of the pie and use a spatula or the back of a spoon to spread it to the edges and make peaks.
  64. You can also use a pastry bag and tip to pipe the meringue and form peaks.
  65. Be sure the meringue touches the edges of the crust all the way around to prevent shrinking.
  66. If topping a baked pie with meringue, place the meringue on the filling while it is still warm.
  67. The heat from the pie will begin to cook the bottom of the meringue and prevent a layer of weeping liquid from forming between the filling and meringue.
  68. Always bake meringue in a preheated 350F oven; temperatures below 325F are too cool, and temperatures above 350F are too hot.
  69. Meringue topping on a 9-inch pie typically takes 8 to 10 minutes in a preheated 350F oven; smaller tarts will take less time, 5 to 7 minutes.

crust, sugar, unsweetened cocoa, kosher salt, milk, cornstarch, eggs, bittersweet chocolate, unsalted butter, vanilla, egg whites, cream of tartar, kosher salt, sugar, flour, confectioners sugar, kosher salt, cold unsalted butter, ground pecans, egg yolks, water, vanilla

Taken from www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/bittersweet-chocolate-tarts-with-pecan-crusts-383798 (may not work)

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