Ingredients
| ½ quantity Short Sweet Pastry, rested (see recipe) | |
| a little plain flour, to dust | |
| 60g hazelnuts | |
| thick (double) cream, to serve (optional) | |
| CHOCOLATE FILLING | |
| 125ml pure (single) cream | |
| 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste | |
| 180g dark chocolate (45–55% cocoa solids), roughly chopped | |
| 2 tablespoons caster sugar | |
| 100g sour cream | |
| 1 egg, lightly beaten | |
| pinch of fine sea salt | |
| SHORT SWEET PASTRY makes approx. 650g pastry | |
| 200g unsalted butter, softened | |
| 40g icing sugar | |
| 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste | |
| 1 egg, lightly beaten | |
| 350g plain flour | |
| ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt |
View the recipe collection here
Instructions
| 1. | SHORT SWEET PASTRY |
| 2. | Place the softened butter in the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment and mix on low speed until smooth. |
| 3. | Add the sugar and vanilla and mix again until well combined. You’re not looking for a light and fluffy texture here, just a uniformly creamy consistency. |
| 4. | Add the egg and continue to beat, now on medium speed until the mixture comes together, scraping down the side of the bowl once or twice. It can take a few minutes for the egg to incorporate, especially if your kitchen is cold, so just take your time here. |
| 5. | Add the flour and salt to the bowl and mix on low speed until the pastry just comes together. |
| 6. | Tip the whole lot out onto a clean work surface and gently bring the pastry and any loose flour together with your hands. |
| 7. | Squish and knead ever so slightly until smooth, then divide the pastry in two. |
| 8. | Roll each portion into a little fat log. Wrap well and place in the fridge to chill for an hour or two (or up to 2 days), or until the pastry is firm enough to work with. |
| 9. | If your pastry has been in the fridge for longer than a couple of hours, leave it out at room temperature for 30-60 minutes before using as directed in the recipe. |
| 10. | CHOCOLATE FILLING |
| 11. | Preheat the oven to 170°C fan-forced and place ten loose- bottomed tart (flan) tins with a base measurement of 6cm and 2cm deep, on a baking tray. |
| 12. | First, prepare the tart shells by cutting your rested pastry log into 10 equal rounds. |
| 13. | Working with one piece at a time, scrunch each round in your hand once or twice to make the pastry malleable, then roll into a ball. |
| 14. | Place on a lightly floured work surface and, using a rolling pin, roll each ball out to a 10-12cm circle (about 3mm thick). |
| 15. | Gently ease the rolled pastry rounds into the tins, pressing the pastry snugly into the base and up the side of each tin. |
| 16. | If the pastry has warmed up a lot, refrigerate the tart shells for 30 minutes before baking. |
| 17. | Use a small sharp knife to trim off any excess pastry from around the rim of the tarts, then place a square of baking paper or foil into each pastry shell. |
| 18. | Fill with baking beads and place in the oven to bake for 20-25 minutes, until golden all over. |
| 19. | Remove from the oven and allow the tart shells to cool with the baking beads in them. |
| 20. | (This step can be done the day before you want to serve the tarts – just store the cooked cooled tart shells in an airtight container.) |
| 21. | Lower the oven temperature to 130°C. |
| 22. | Place the hazelnuts on a small baking tray and bake for 5-8 minutes, or until they are fragrant and the skins will slip off the nuts. |
| 23. | Place the nuts in a clean tea towel and rub together to remove most of the skins – it doesn’t really matter if a bit of the skin stays on. Set aside. |
| 24. | While the tart shells and nuts are cooling, make the chocolate filling by heating the cream and vanilla in a small saucepan until just below a simmer. |
| 25. | Remove from the heat and add the chocolate to the pan. |
| 26. | Allow the mixture to sit for a minute or two to melt the chocolate before using a small whisk to mix until smooth. |
| 27. | Mix in the sugar, followed by the sour cream, then the egg and salt, whisking until smooth. |
| 28. | When the tart shells are cool, remove the baking paper and baking beads. |
| 29. | Divide the chocolate filling evenly among the tarts, and top with the roasted hazelnuts. |
| 30. | Bake in the oven for 12-18 minutes or until the surface of the chocolate filling is set, but is still a little wobbly in the centre. |
| 31. | The filling will continue to cook as it cools. |
| 32. | Allow the tarts to cool in their tins before carefully turning them out and serving with a spoonful of cream, if you like. |
This is an edited
extract from Handfuls
of Sunshine by Tilly
Pamment. Published
by Murdoch Books,
$45. Photography,
recipes and styling
by Tilly Pamment.