CHOCOLATE GANACHE TARTLETS

By gaster16

Ingredients

• Ganache Filling:
• Vegetable oil cooking spray for pan
• 1 cup all purpose flour plus more for surface
• 1/4 cup unswedtened cocoa powder
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla
• 10 ounce bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• Meringue Hearts:
• 2 large egg whites, room temperature
• 1/2 cup sugar
• Pinch of cream of tartar
• Gel paste food coloring in assorted colors

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Make the tart shells. Coat five 5" heart-shaped tart pans with cooking spray. Whisk together flour, cocoa and salt.

Beat butter with mixer on medium speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add sugar, and beat until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Reduce speed to low. Add vanilla and flour mixture and mix until dough just begins to hold together, 1-2 minutes. Turn out dough onto plastic wrap, wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Roll out dough to 1/4" thickness on a lightly floured surface. Cut dough into 5 equal pieces, and press into bottom and up sides of prepared tart pans. Using a sharp paring knife, trim excess dough flush with edges of pans. Patch any tears. Refrigerate 1 hour.

Bake tart shells on a rimmed baking sheet until firm, about 25 minutes. Let cool completely on wire racks.

Make the ganache filling. Place chocolate in a bowl. Heat cream and milk in a small saucepan over medium-high heat until almost boiling, pour over chocolate. Let stand for 2 minutes. Slowly whisk until smooth. Let stand 10 minutes more. Stir in egg. Return tart shells to baking sheet, and pour in filling. Bake until just set, about 25 minutes. Let cool completely before removing from pans. Decorate with meringue hearts.

Meringue Hearts:

Preheat oven to 175 degrees. Place egg whites, sugar and cream of tartar in a heatproof mixer bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Whisk until sugar dissolves, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a mixer, and beat with mixer on medium-high speed until stiff, flossy peaks form, about 7 minutes. Divide meringue into batches, and tint each with food coloring as desired. Transfer to pastry bags fitted with medium open star tips. Pipe hearts (1/2 to 1" each) onto parchment lined baking sheets. Bake for 2 hours. Turn oven off and let meringues stand in oven for 8 hours (or overnight).
Meringues can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.