26 May 2022

Chocolate Tart - Tarte au Chocolat

Chocolate Tart - Tarte au Chocolat / www.delightfulrepast.com

Mr Delightful doesn't usually comment on food when we're watching a movie or video, but he did so when a travel vlogger was eating and describing a chocolate dessert on a train journey. So I knew it had been too long since I'd made a Chocolate Tart.

I've made it with chocolate pastry before, but to me that is overkill. A filling with this much chocolate does not need a chocolate crust. To fancy it up for a dinner party, I might garnish with a bit of whipped cream and a few raspberries; but they are not needed and I've photographed for you the plain-jane slice that can stand alone.

Not just intensely chocolatey, this tart is ethereally light. Take a bite, put it in your mouth and the chocolate filling seems to disappear in your mouth. I hope you'll try it soon and let me know if you agree!


Chocolate Tart - Tarte au Chocolat / www.delightfulrepast.com

If you like it, please Pin it and share it!


Chocolate Tart - Tarte au Chocolat


(Makes one 9-inch/23cm tart, 8 servings)

The Pastry - Pâte Sucrée (a sweet shortcrust pastry)

1 1/4 dip-and-sweep cups (6.25 ounces/177 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 packed cup (1 ounce/28 grams) unsifted powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons (4 ounces/113 grams) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 large egg

The Filling

1 3/4 sticks (7 ounces/198 grams) unsalted butter, cut into 7 chunks
10.5 ounces (298 grams) bittersweet (68 to 78%) chocolate, coarsely chopped
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs, room temperature
2 large egg yolks, room temperature
1/3 cup (2.33 ounces/66 grams) sugar


1 Add flour, powdered sugar and salt to work bowl of food processor; turn on for about 3 or 4 seconds to combine. Add chunks of butter; pulse to a crumb texture. Add egg; pulse until the dough starts clumping together. This is to be a crisp, more cookie-like crust, rather than a flaky pastry; so there's not quite the concern about over-processing. Flatten slightly into a 5-inch round disk, wrap and refrigerate for 30 to 60 minutes.

2 Lightly butter a 9-inch/23cm tart tin and set it on a baking sheet. On lightly floured 12-inch square of aluminum foil, roll out the pastry to a 12-inch circle. Transfer dough to tart tin, pressing dough (but not stretching it) to fit the tin. Save the foil; you're not done with it. With scissors or knife, trim the overhang to 1/2 inch all around. Fold it in and press it to the sides to form a thicker side crust. Trim the edges by rolling the rolling pin over the top. Press the pastry into the flutes so that it rises a bit above the edge (in case of shrinkage). Pop it in the freezer for 15 minutes while you preheat the oven to 375F/190C/Gas5.

3 Cover chilled pastry with reserved piece of foil, clean side up, pressing it to fit well. Spread 2 cups of ceramic pie weights (that's two packages of Mrs. Anderson's ceramic pie weights) over the foil. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove foil and weights; continue baking for 10 minutes, until lightly browned to a pale golden.

4 While the pastry is baking, start the filling. In a heavy-bottomed 3-quart saucepan over medium-low heat, heat the butter until melted and small bubbles begin to form around the edge. Remove from heat; add the chopped chocolate and stir until thoroughly smooth. Stir in salt. The melted mixture needs to be tepid when you fold in the egg mixture. If at some point it begins to solidify a bit, you might need to apply a bit of low heat just to thin the mixture, not warm it.

5 Remove tart shell from the oven and turn the temperature down to 325F/165C/Gas3. While the pastry is cooling, continue with the filling. In a 2-quart bowl, beat the eggs, egg yolks, and sugar with an electric mixer on high speed for about 10 minutes, until the mixture is light and airy and doubled or tripled in volume. You may also use a heavy-duty stand mixer with the whisk attachment, and it may take less time.

6 Fold about a third of the egg mixture into the chocolate mixture, gently but rather thoroughly. Then very gently fold in the remaining egg mixture, just until no visible streaks of egg remain. Try not to deflate the eggs.

7 Pour filling into prebaked pastry shell. Bake (with tart tin on baking sheet) for about 25 minutes, until just set but still with a bit of a wobble. Do not overbake. Cool on wire rack at room temperature for at least 2 hours. If you make it a day or two ahead, refrigerate it until 2 hours before serving time; allow it to come to room temperature. Cut into 8 to 12 wedges and serve with a dollop of unsweetened or barely sweetened whipped cream.

Disclosure: We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon .com and affiliated sites. We are a ThermoWorks affiliate, earning a small commission at no cost to you on purchases made through our links. This helps cover some of the costs of running the blog. Thank you for your support.

Jean

If you liked this post, please Pin it and share it!

12 May 2022

Sheet Pan Pancakes

Sheet Pan Pancakes / www.delightfulrepast.com

My Sheet Pan Pancakes recipe isn't one of those silly ones you see, with a load of sugar, that's more cake than pancake! This is breakfast, people, not dessert!

Pancakes are my favorite comfort food breakfast. I can't eat pancakes without thinking of my Southern grandmother. Grandma made The Best pancakes—actually, she called them hotcakes (Is that a Southern thing?). She made them really thick and fluffy, about 4 inches in diameter, and served them with lots of butter and hot homemade syrup.

This is my basic pancake batter recipe for thick and fluffy pancakes, arrived at through trial and error over the years, but with directions for sheet pan baking rather than 12 individual round pancakes. If you want to make some really good regular, not sheet pan, pancakes instead, use the same ingredients.

If you like the super thin, but not quite as thin as Crepes, pancakes my mother liked (Is that an English thing?), then try my Swedish Pancakes. What is your ideal pancake? Do you make them yourself or go out for them? Or do you prefer Waffles?


Sheet Pan Pancakes / www.delightfulrepast.com

If you like it, please Pin it and share it!

Sheet Pan Pancakes

(Makes 12 pancakes)

4 tablespoons (2 ounces/57 grams) unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups (10 fluid ounces/296 ml) milk
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 1/4 dip-and-sweep cups (6.25 ounces/177 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon (12 grams) sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs, room temperature

In 1-cup glass measure, melt the butter in the microwave (or melt the butter in a small saucepan on the stove); set aside to cool slightly. In 2-cup glass measure, measure the milk and stir in the vinegar. 

2 In medium bowl (I use a 2-quart Pyrex glass measure), whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

3 In small bowl (I use a 4-cup Pyrex glass measure), whisk together eggs, soured milk, and 2 tablespoons of the melted butter. Pour into dry mixture and whisk gently until just combined. Let the batter rest at room temperature for 15 minutes while you preheat the oven.

4 Put one oven rack in the middle of the oven and one about 6 inches from the broiler at the top. Preheat the oven to 425F/220C/Gas7. Line the bottom of a 15x10x1-inch "jelly roll" sheet pan with baking parchment paper. Brush paper and sides of pan with 1 tablespoon of the melted butter.

5 Scrape batter into the prepared pan and give the pan a gentle shake to spread the batter out. Bake for about 8 minutes, until the center is springy to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

6 Remove pan from the oven and turn the oven to Broil. Brush the top of the pancake with the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter. Place under the broiler for 1 to 2 minutes, watching it closely, until lightly browned, turning pan as needed for even browning.

7 Cut into 12 squares and serve immediately (to everyone all at once!) with warm maple syrup or Homemade Blueberry Syrup/Sauce. Or store cooled squares in airtight container in refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. 

Disclosure: We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon .com and affiliated sites. We are a ThermoWorks affiliate, earning a small commission at no cost to you on purchases made through our links. This helps cover some of the costs of running the blog. Thank you for your support. 

Jean

If you liked this post, please Pin it and share it!