Photo courtesy Osteria Morini
Chocolate + Lemon Tarts for Two
½ cup + 1 tbsp almond flour
¾ cup + 2 tbsp cocoa powder
2-1/3 cup AP flour
½ tsp salt
1¼ cup 10x (confectionary) sugar
2 large eggs
2 sticks butter
Sift together almond flour, cocoa powder, AP flour and salt. Using a kitchen mixer, cream room temp butter and 10x sugar until light and fluffy. Scrape down the bowl, and slowly add eggs one at a time. When the mixture becomes homogenous, scrape again and add all dry ingredients to the bowl. Mix until the dough comes together. Refrigerate the dough wrapped in plastic for 2 hours.
Roll the dough out to 1/8 inch between two pieces of parchment paper. Freeze. Using a cutter, cut out circles that are ½ inch larger than tartelette molds. Form tart, and weigh down with wax paper pouches filled with beans. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes. Remove wax paper once the dough begins to set, bake until crisp. Cool completely and remove from molds. Yields 8-10 tartelettes.
Chocolate Tart Filling
8.4 ounces milk chocolate
8.4 ounces dark chocolate
¼ cup dark rum
1¾ cup heavy cream
¾ sticks butter, very softened
Place chocolates in a medium size bowl. Bring cream to a full boil and pour over chocolate. Let sit for one minute.
Mix together with a spatula until the mixture becomes homogenous. Add butter and mix until it is no longer visible. Add rum until it is dissolved. Pour into tarts and let set for 2-3 hours.
Lemon Meringue Tart
1 cup 10x (confectionary) sugar
¾ cup cornstarch
2 ½ cup AP flour
1 vanilla bean (optional)
2.4 sticks butter
2 large eggs
½ tsp salt
Sift together AP flour, cornstarch and salt. Using a kitchen mixer, cream room temp butter and 10x sugar until light and fluffy. Scrape down the bowl, and slowly add eggs one at a time. When the mixture becomes homogenous, scrape again and add all dry ingredients to the bowl. Mix until the dough comes together. Refrigerate the dough wrapped in plastic for 2 hours. Roll the dough out to 1/8 inch between two pieces of parchment paper. Freeze.
Using a cutter, cut out circles that are ½ inch larger than tartelette molds. Form tart, and weigh down with wax paper pouches filled with beans. Bake at 350°F for 10 minutes. Remove wax paper once the dough begins to set, bake until crisp. Cool completely. Remove from molds. Yields 8-10 tartelettes
Lemon Curd
1 cup lemon juice, strained
1 cup sugar
2 sticks butter, very softened
7 large eggs
2 sheets Silver Leaf gelatin
Bloom gelatin in ice water for five minutes.
In a large metal bowl, combine eggs, sugar and lemon juice. Cook over a hot water / steam bath until the mixture is nice and thick (180°F). Place the bloomed gelatin in a clean bowl and strain the curd over the gelatin. Let cool to 108°F.
Using a hand-held blender, blend in the butter slowly until homogenous. Pour into cooled tart shells and refrigerate until set (about 2-3 hours).
Toasted Meringue
1/3 cup egg whites
½ cup + 2 tbsp sugar
Make an Italian meringue by placing the sugar and mixing with water in a pot and cooking to 240°F. Meanwhile, in a kitchen mixer, whip the egg whites on medium speed to soft peak. Pour the sugar syrup carefully into the whipping whites. Place the mixer on high speed until the bowl feels cool and the peaks hold firmly.
Pipe a design or use a spoon to spread the meringue on top of the tart. Place the tart under the broiler for 1 minute to toast the top or use a torch if you have one.
Decorations and Assembly
Place candied orange peels, white chocolate décor or candied cherries or anything else that you like. (Nothing at all is fine too!)
Cut each tart in half, giving one portion to each.
Tricia is a native Washingtonian, born and raised in Columbia Heights. She loves DC so much that she was only able to leave the city for one year after college and immediately came running back. She’s lived in Navy Yard for the last few years and is excited to see all the new restaurants finally moving into the neighborhood. Tricia works in PR during the day, and spends her nights trying out new restaurants in DC with friends or watching The Good Wife, Scandal, Bones and Grey’s Anatomy. A couple of years ago Tricia decided to eat at all of the 100 Very Best Restaurants until she realized she would be old and broke by the time she finished. Unfortunately, part of that fate might still come true due to her obsession with Uber.