La tarte au chocolat

chocolate tart slice

Médoc is looking more and more like Venice these days.  The rain hasn’t stopped for days, we now have a pond in our garden, which is quite fun for the kids and the dogs I suppose.  I wouldn’t mind a bit of snow, a peaceful change of creamy colors and scenery, but that won’t really happen here.

Driving through the beautiful châteaux of Pauillac and Saint Julien yesterday, I came home with an appetite for intensity and decadence.  Something sweet and elegant.  Bad weather can justify any of my cravings, so I made this extra rich chocolate tart, with a mascarpone vanilla bean cream and a salted butter caramel sauce.  Let’s go all the way with this grown-up treat.  It is my cure to these cold and wet winter months.  Who doesn’t want a tart filled with all the necessary (and natural) mood enhancing ingredients?  Chocolate makes you feel better, stimulated, happy and even in love.  How wonderful.  Eating this tart is my joie de vivre.

After blind baking the pie crust,  you simply need to leave your tart in the oven with the heat switched off for 15 minutes.  I usually bake this tart is a small pan (18cm/7 inch – 2 cm/ 0.8 inch depth) – it’s so rich that a small slice will do.  Enjoy!

My baby daughter Gaïa dipped her fingers in the tart!
My baby daughter Gaïa dipped her fingers in the tart!

 
Ingredients:

For the pastry: (this recipe will make 2 tart of 18cm/7 inch width  – you can either divide the measures in 2 or simply keep excess pastry in the freezer for up to 3 months)

250 g/2 cups plain flour
150 g/ 2/3 cups butter (softened at room temperature)
30 g/ ¼ cup sugar
60 g icing/ ½ cup confectioner’s sugar
80 g/ ½ cup ground almonds
1 egg
1 pinch of salt

1) In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients together until the mixture forms a homogenous dough. Shape into a ball, wrap in cling film and place in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
2) On a floured parchment covered surface, roll out the dough to fit your tart pan.  Line your tart pan, leave 1/4 inch/ 1 cm overhang.  Gently press the edges of pastry against the interior of the tart pan ring and prick the base with a fork. Use a piece of leftover dough to press down the edges (this trick will prevent any over-stretching or finger marks).
3) Cover with cling film and place in the freezer for a least an hour (the longer the better).  This is a good trick to prevent shrinking.
4) Cut out a piece of parchment paper and line the bottom of the tart.  Place beans/marbles/any oven proof weight and blind bake in a preheated oven 180°C/ 350°F for 10 minutes.  Remove weight and parchment paper and bake for a further 3-4 minutes, or until slightly golden.  Set aside

For the chocolate filling:

120 ml/ 1/2 cup double cream/ heavy cream
60 ml/1/4 cup  full cream milk
150 g/ 1/3 pound dark chocolate
15 g / 1 tbsp salted butter
1 egg

1) Switch the oven off and keep the door semi-closed (leave a tiny gap open).
2) Break the chocolate into pieces and place in a bowl.  Set aside.
3) In a saucepan, add milk, cream and butter.  Bring to a soft boil and immediately pour over the chocolate.  Mix well until chocolate has melted completely.  In a small bowl, whisk the egg and pour gently and slowly in the chocolate mixture, mix well.
4) Gently pour the mixture into the tart and place in the oven (switched off) for 15 minutes.Close the oven door.
5) Take out from the oven and leave to cool and set for minimum 2-3 hours.

For the mascarpone vanilla bean cream:

120 ml/ 1/2 cup cream (for whipping)
80 ml/ 1/3 cup mascarpone
2 vanilla pods (cut a slit on the entire length and scrape off the beans with the tip of your knife)
2 tbsp icing sugar (sifted)

Mix all the ingredients (cream, mascarpone, vanilla beans and sugar) together and whisk for 4-5 minutes until stiff.

For the salted caramel sauce:

100 g/ 1/2 cup granulated sugar
120 ml/ 1/2 cup cream (slightly warmed)
50 g/ 3 tbsp salted butter (at room temperature)

1) Melt the sugar in a saucepan on a medium heat.  Do not stir until it has nearly all melted (it should be golden/amber colored).
2) Take away from the heat, stir with a wooden spoon and gently pour the cream.   Stir well, add butter, continue to stir.
3) Return to a low heat for 5-10 seconds , stirring constantly.  Leave to cool.
Serve chocolate tart (cooled and left to set for 2-3 hours) with the cream and caramel sauce.

chocolatemess

52 thoughts on “La tarte au chocolat

  1. Imaginez Paris : Il fait nuit et une petite pluie fine et glacée a remplacé la neige. Alors, voir ce gâteau et ces tasses, c’est presque de la provocation mais on vous pardonne c’est tellement apétissant et joli. Comme d’habitude.

  2. Hello Mimi-this recipe looks & sounds amazing (as do all your others)! When you refer to “double cream” -is that the same thing as heavy cream?

  3. Oh–and what kind of dark chocolate, what percentage of dark and sugar? I guess you can tell I’m not much of a baker…

  4. Comfort food 😉
    J’aime beaucoup votre service. Est-ce un modele ancien tres moderne ou quelque chose de recent ? Merci pour toutes vos belles ambiances… Et recettes ! Frederique

  5. Comfort food 😉
    J’aime beaucoup votre service. Est-ce un modele ancien tres moderne ou quelque chose de recent ? Merci pour toutes vos belles ambiances… Et recettes !
    Frederique

  6. The baby’s fingerprints are the perfect touch, like the small deliberate flaw that master weavers incorporate into Persian rugs. I think I might make the luscious toppings even before the cake, they just look so luxurious. Thank you for sharing the recipes!

  7. I love that you kept the photo with your daughter’s fingerprints. 🙂 That is beautiful. 🙂 Our butter dish always used to have fingermarks from my little brother sneaking scoops of butter. 🙂 Beautiful tart. Wishing you snow and an end to your deluge. Perhaps you could send a bit of the rain to Australia instead. 🙂 We need it!

  8. This cake just looks irresistible. And more than just the cake, I love the dishes in this post! That tiny gold trim is photogenic indeed.

  9. Mimi
    your pic always through me out in another world – a world full of smell and delicious food and bakery. Thats so great – especially looking into a rainy cold weather. You’re so right, baking is a very very great help to realise a happy day.
    Thank you so much.
    Susanne

  10. Mimi, that’s georgeous!
    I can vividly imagine how eating this tart is your joie de vivre. And alos mine:-)

    One question: you use pat brisee, right?
    (I mean, the one from the supermarket?)

    I try to do all my sweet stuff with organic products (and particularly I do love doing this while in France as there it’s so easy to get them).

    1. Bonjour! This chocolate/cream/caramel treat certainly brightened my days! Regarding your question, yes, it is pâte brisée. You can of course use a good-quality one from the supermarket (if you are in France I like the Herta brand). If you have the time, try my pastry recipe – it’s my ‘little black dress’ of all pastries:) It’s so easy to make, and the ground almonds makes the pastry so delicious. You can store it in the freezer (I always have 2 ‘lined’ tart pans in th efreezer so I can make a tart at any time of the day). Bonne journée, Mimix

  11. Bonjour Mimi, j’ai découvert ton blog il y’a quelques jours et je suis restée bouche bée…il est magnifique! Tes recettes sont délicieuse ( j’en ai déjà essayées quelques-unes) et les photos de ton mari superbes.
    Mais j’ai remarqué qu’on ne peut pas trouvé certains recettes quand on clique sur RECIPES, comme par exemple la recette d’aligot ( je l’ai trouvé par hasard sur le blog Cup of Jo) et il me semble qu’il y en a d’autres.

    1. Bonjour! Merci pour vos gentils mots qui me font tant plaisir! ‘Manger’ est mon petit journal culinaire, avec des recettes de famille que je prépare tous les jours au fil des saisons dans le Médoc. Vous avez raison, je pense qu’il manque une dizaine de recettes sur la page ‘Recipes’ – promis je vais les ajouter aujourd’hui. Merci encore! Mimix

  12. Bonjour Mimi! Since the first time I read this post the tart haunted me(as did the the beautiful photography). I made it today and what a treat! It is -4 F where I live and it was a real joy. I even bought a bottle of champagne to go with it! Thanks for sharing your beautiful life! much warmth, Maureen

  13. J’adore ce blog, et je commence à avoir fait pas mal de recettes qui sont ici, toujours pour le plus grand délice de mes invités 🙂
    Hier, tarte au chocolat au dessert. La ganache est délicieuse mais je dois avouer que j’ai eu du mal à étaler la pâte qui était trop collante. J’ai ajouté de la farine mais elle était un peu trop cassante, de ce fait… Comment faire pour qu’elle colle moins ?
    Bon, la sauce au caramel était délicieuse, en revanche 🙂

  14. Dear Mimi,

    I made this Chocolate Tart along with the Radish & Cabbage Salad, the Parmesan Soup and the Roast Sausages with Fennel and Red Wine Gravy. My husband also made his amazing Brussels Sprouts. It was a small group of 8 and an elaborate feast for my mother’s birthday at our house this past Saturday. In the end I did have to have a couple helpers in the kitchen to get it all together. Thank you so much for the recipes and the inspiration. Lovely photos get me in the mood to cook and everything was delicious and perfect. My mother goes in for surgery on a cancer tumor in a couple weeks. I wanted to show her how I cherish her and I knew when I saw your website that I could do that with the food you have shared. Thank you again. Love Cheryl

  15. Bonjour Mimi,
    Tout d’abord je voulais vous dire que mon fils Malcolm (11 ans) et moi même suivons votre émission tous les jours et nous apprécions beaucoup vos recettes.
    La seule petite chose que je trouve dommage c’est que votre blog soit en anglais :-(….j’apprends actuellement cette langue, un peu par obligation (sans cela dans 10 ans je serai larguée avec les enfants…hihihi), mais j’ai encore pas mal de lacunes et c’est un peu dur pour lire les recettes. Mais heureusement il y’a google traduction qui m’aide…un peu!
    Je vais essayer cette recette cette semaine (et encore d’autres), mais j’ai vraiment hâte d’y goûter.
    Merci pour toutes ces idées simples et gourmande et pour votre bonne humeur.
    Amitié de Suisse….

    1. Merci Sylvie! Je suis très heureuse de savoir que vous appréciez mes recettes!Je vais essayer, petit à petit, d’ajouter les recettes en Français. Un grand bonjour à Malcom! Mimi x

  16. I’m so excited to make this for Valentine’s Day! Do you think it will be fine to make a day ahead? Also, should I refrigerate it or leave it out? Thanks so much xx

  17. Hello Mimi! This is beautiful. Should the almonds be ground to dust like almond flour or more coarsely textured?

  18. J’ai tout recemment découvert votre émission sur Cuisine TV et ce blog sur internet: au fur et à mesure je “tente” vos recettes et récolte quelques succès auprès de mes amis et je vous dois une fière chandelle. Le “must”? votre tarte au chocolat, su-bli-me tout simplement comme la tarte pommes-clava!!! MERCI MERCI MERCI

  19. Bonjour mimi, comment allez vous et les les enfants, .. tout d’abord je voulait vous dire que je regarde vos épisode a la tv et que mes 4 enfants aiment beaucoup vos recette surtout maintenant qu il y a vos dessert. . A chaque fois ils me disent maman tu peux faire le dessert de mimi c délicieux. . ;-);-) .. mais dommage que le site soit en anglais.. mais pas grave Google traduction. . En espérant que le blog pourras assez etre en français. . Bizeke aux enfants a très vite. .

  20. Hi Mimi! I am not the biggest fan of dark chocolate but this recipe looks delicious! Could I use a slightly sweeter chocolate instead?

  21. Just wondering if it’s possible to consolidate into one large tart or if it is better to do the two smaller tarts.

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