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Title: Chocolate Tart Dough
Categories: Chocolate Tart Pastry
Yield: 6 Servings
| 8 | tb | (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces |
| 1 | c | Unbleached all-purpose flour |
| 2 | tb | Plus 2 teaspoons unsweetened Dutch-processed cocoa powder |
| 1/2 | c | Plus 2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar |
| 1 | lg | Egg yolk |
The chocolate flavor of this dough comes from cocoa powder, so the quality of cocoa you use will bear greatly on the results. Buy the best Dutch-processed cocoa powder you can find, preferably an imported brand such as Valrhona or Droste. The method used here is the same as for the Standard Tart Dough, but the baking presents an additional challenge. As the tart is a deep shade of cocoa, color doesn't help you much to determine when it's finished. You'll need to engage your senses of smell and touch: A rich chocolate aroma and a dry interior mean the tart shells are done. If you smell burnt chocolate, it's too late, so if the tarts are close to being finished but you're not sure, pull them from the oven. It's easier to judge if they need more baking once they've cooled, and it's fine to put them back in the oven if they do need additional time. : WORKING NOTE: To dust the work surface and rolling pin when working with chocolate dough, sift together 2 parts flour and 1 part cocoa powder and follow notes 1 through 6 below. : 1) Let the butter sit at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes. It should be malleable, but still cool. : 2) Sift together the flour and cocoa powder. : 3) Place the confectioners' sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer or a medium mixing bowl. Add the butter and toss to coat. Using the paddle attachment, or a hand-held mixer, cream the sugar and butter at medium speed until the sugar is no longer visible. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the egg yolk and beat until well blended. Scrape down the sides of the bowl again. Add half of the flour mixture and beat until the dough becomes crumbly. Stop the machine, add the remaining flour mixture, and beat until the dough forms a sticky mass. Shape the dough into a disk and wrap well in plastic. Refrigerate until firm, approximately 2 hours. : 4) Dust a work surface with flour. Cut the chilled dough into 1-inch pieces. Using the heel of your hand, knead the pieces back together into a smooth disk. As you work, use a dough scraper to free the dough from the surface if necessary. Keeping the surface well dusted, roll the disk into a 10-inch log. If using flan rings, cut the log into 7 equal pieces; if using tart pans, cut it into 6 pieces. Refrigerate for 5 minutes. : 5) If using flan rings, line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set seven 4-inch flan rings on it. : 6) Dust the work surface and a rolling pin with flour. Using your fist, flatten one piece of dough into a 2- to 3-inch round. Lift it up off the work surface to dust underneath with flour. Using the rolling pin, roll the dough into a 5 1/2-inch round, or a 6-inch round if using tart pans, about 1/8 inch thick. With a pastry docker or a fork, prick holes all over the dough. If the dough is too soft to handle at this point, use a dough scraper to remove it to a small baking sheet and refrigerate it for 2 to 3 minutes before proceeding.) : 7) Center the round of dough over a flan ring or a 4 3/4-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom. If using a tart pan, be careful that the sharp top edge does not tear the dough. With your thumbs on the inside and the tips of your fingers outside, run your hands around the ring or pan several times, easing the dough down into it. Speed does not matter, finesse does. Lower your thumbs to the inside bottom of the ring and press to form a right angle between the bottom and sides of the dough; if using a tart pan, press to form a clean angle without excess dough buildup. Keeping your thumbs on the inside of the ring or pan, again circle around it, applying light pressure to the sides; if you move the ring or pan around through your hands, the process will be easier. There should be at least a 1/2-inch rim of excess dough extending straight above the top edge. With a small knife, tilted upward, trim the excess dough flush with the top of the ring. Or, if using a tart pan, simply roll the rolling pin over the top to trim the excess. Repeat this process with the remaining pieces of dough. Refrigerate the scraps from each piece as you work, then knead them together and roll out another tart shell. If using tart pans, place them on a baking sheet. : 8) Place the tart shells in the freezer for 30 minutes. : 9) Position a rack in the center of the oven, and preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. : 10) If you are partially baking the tart shells, bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until the interiors are dry and the pastry smell nicely of chocolate. If the bottoms of the shells puff up, tap down lightly with your fingers as often as necessary. Leave the tart shells on the baking sheet in their rings or pans. : If you are fully baking the tart shells, bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until the interiors are dry and there is a deep chocolate aroma. If using flan rings, remove the rings and, using a wide spatula, transfer the shells to a wire rack to cool. If using tart pans, let the shells cool completely in the pans on a rack before unmolding.
MM format by Manny Rothstein
From BOOK OF TARTS: Form, Function, and Flavor at The City Bakery, by Maury Rubin. New York: William Morrow and Company, Inc., 1995. Hardcover: $25.00.
From: Manny Rothstein Date: 06-19-98 (01:38) Doc's Place Bbs Online. (253) Cooking
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