Chocolate and Hazelnut Tart Recipe
Chris Leach’s sophisticated yet playful dessert consists of sweet chocolate pastry, whey caramel and a chocolate cremoso – custard with melted dark chocolate folded through it. The tarts are topped with Manteca’s own ‘100s and 1000s’, made of hazelnut praline, feuilletine, cocoa nibs and chocolate popping candy.
- 700ml of double cream
- 100g of caster sugar
- 200g of egg yolk
- 180g of 70% dark chocolate, finely chopped
- 150g of unsalted butter, softened
- 120g of icing sugar, sifted
- 4g of fine sea salt
- 70g of egg yolk, (approx. 5 yolks)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 260g of plain flour, sifted
- 57g of cocoa powder, sifted
- 500ml of whey
- 105g of dark brown sugar
- 30g of unsalted butter
- 80g of caster sugar
- 40g of unsalted butter
- 30g of liquid glucose
- 200g of blanched hazelnuts
- 10g of salt
- 5g of bicarbonate of soda
- 64g of caster sugar
- 32g of unsalted butter
- 24g of liquid glucose
- 2 tsp water
- 154g of blanched hazelnuts
- 7g of salt
- 4g of bicarbonate of soda
- 80g of feuilletine
- 70g of cacao nibs
- 70g of chocolate popping candy
- For the chocolate cremoso, gently heat the cream until just under boiling point while you whisk together the sugar and egg yolks until well combined. Put the finely chopped chocolate in a large separate mixing bowl
- Temper the egg mixture with the hot cream until all the cream is incorporated then return the mixture to the heat and cook until it reaches 83°C, whisking continuously to prevent scrambling. Once at 83°C, strain the custard through a fine sieve over the chocolate and whisk until fully melted. Season lightly with salt and allow the mixture to set in the fridge
- For the pastry, preheat the oven to 170 °C. Beat the butter in a stand mixer until whipped, then slowly add the sugar and salt until light and fluffy. Add the egg yolks and vanilla extract and beat until smooth. Remove the bowl from the machine
- Combine the flour and cocoa powder in a separate bowl. Using your hands, mix the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients thoroughly until fully incorporated. Lightly knead the dough, then shape into a log and rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes
- Once rested, roll the dough 0.5cm thick and use it to line either 8 small individual tart cases or 1 large case. Line the tins with the pastry and bake for 10-15 minutes, or until dry and sandy to the touch. Leave to cool completely
- For the whey caramel, in a medium wide-based pan, bring the whey to the boil and reduce by half
- Add the sugar and butter and continue to cook the caramel until it reaches 112-113°C. Strain through a fine sieve into a large bowl
- Allow the caramel to cool, whisking regularly to prevent it from splitting. Once cooled, check the seasoning before decanting into a piping bag. Set aside in the fridge until needed
- For the hazelnut crumb, bring the sugar, butter, liquid glucose and 1 tablespoon of water to the boil over a medium heat
- Add the hazelnuts and cook until the mixture becomes a light caramel. Remove from the heat and immediately stir in the salt and bicarbonate of soda. Pour onto a heatproof surface lined with baking paper and allow to cool completely. Once cold, roughly chop and set aside
- For the 100s and 1000s, first make a hazelnut praline. Bring the sugar, butter, glucose and water to a boil over a medium heat. Add the hazelnuts and cook until the mixture turns a light caramel
- Remove from the heat and stir in the salt and bicarbonate of soda, then pour onto baking paper on a heatproof surface and allow to cool completely
- Once cold, finely chop the praline and weigh out 150g (keep the rest for another dish). Add the rest of the ingredients for the 100s and 1000s and store in an airtight container until needed
- Remove the whey caramel and chocolate cremoso from the fridge 20-30 minutes before you want to serve, to come up to temperature – the cremoso can set quite firm
- To serve, place the individual tart cases onto plates, securing with a dot of whey caramel. Pipe whey caramel into the base of each tart case and smooth the top with a palette knife. Pipe or spoon the chocolate cremoso into the tart cases. Liberally sprinkle over the 100s & 1000s and hazelnut crumb and serve
Which tastes as good as you imagine. NOTE: You could also bake this as one large tart in a 24cm tart tin. You may have a little excess pastry leftover and the case may take a few minutes longer to bake, but the rest of the elements will work just the same.
For the chocolate cremoso, gently heat the cream until just under boiling point while you whisk together the sugar and egg yolks until well combined. Put the finely chopped chocolate in a large separate mixing bowl Temper the egg mixture with the hot cream until all the cream is incorporated then return the mixture to the heat and cook until it reaches 83°C, whisking continuously to prevent scrambling.
Once at 83°C, strain the custard through a fine sieve over the chocolate and whisk until fully melted. Season lightly with salt and allow the mixture to set in the fridge
For the pastry, preheat the oven to 170 °C. Beat the butter in a stand mixer until whipped, then slowly add the sugar and salt until light and fluffy.
Add the egg yolks and vanilla extract and beat until smooth. Remove the bowl from the machine Combine the flour and cocoa powder in a separate bowl.
Using your hands, mix the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients thoroughly until fully incorporated. Lightly knead the dough, then shape into a log and rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes
Once rested, roll the dough 0.5cm thick and use it to line either 8 small individual tart cases or 1 large case. Line the tins with the pastry and bake for 10-15 minutes, or until dry and sandy to the touch. Leave to cool completely
For the whey caramel, in a medium wide-based pan, bring the whey to the boil and reduce by half Allow the caramel to cool, whisking regularly to prevent it from splitting. Once cooled, check the seasoning before decanting into a piping bag.
Set aside in the fridge until needed Add the hazelnuts and cook until the mixture becomes a light caramel.
Remove from the heat and immediately stir in the salt and bicarbonate of soda. Pour onto a heatproof surface lined with baking paper and allow to cool completely.
Once cold, roughly chop and set aside For the 100s and 1000s, first make a hazelnut praline.
Bring the sugar, butter, glucose and water to a boil over a medium heat. Add the hazelnuts and cook until the mixture turns a light caramel
Once cold, finely chop the praline and weigh out 150g (keep the rest for another dish). Add the rest of the ingredients for the 100s and 1000s and store in an airtight container until needed
Remove the whey caramel and chocolate cremoso from the fridge 20-30 minutes before you want to serve, to come up to temperature – the cremoso can set quite firm To serve, place the individual tart cases onto plates, securing with a dot of whey caramel.
Pipe whey caramel into the base of each tart case and smooth the top with a palette knife. Pipe or spoon the chocolate cremoso into the tart cases. Liberally sprinkle over the 100s & 1000s and hazelnut crumb and serve
