The name of this tart in French is deceiving…its so much more than a “thin chocolate tart”. It’s a three layers sensation made up of sweet pastry, a crunchy, nutty praline filling and a thick, dark velvety chocolate ganache topping – a French classic.
The crunchy filling made up of home-made praline and crisp, buttery French crêpes dentelles biscuits (Gavottes) sets this tart apart. The thin, crisp, finger long Gavottes wafers are sold in boxes of pairs, individually wrapped in gold foil and available in any French grocery store. They are often served alongside ice cream and other desserts or coffees at the end of a meal. They are pretty fancy for a store-bought cookie and ridiculously delicious. Outside of France they are available in most high-end grocery stores or you can order them on-line.
This tart was adapted from a recipe by the pastry genius, Pierre Hermé.
Ingredients
- Sweet Pastry (Pate Sucrée)
- 130 g (1 stick + 1 Tbsp) soft butter
- 85 g (3/4 cup) confectioners’ sugar
- 25 g (1/4 cup) almond powder
- 1 medium egg
- 210 g (2 cups) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- For the crunchy praline layer:
- 50 g sugar (1/4 cup)
- 50 g (2/3rds cups) ground almonds or hazelnuts
- 30 g (1 ounce) dark chocolate 70% cacao
- 15 g (1/2 ounce) butter
- 30 g (about 2 cookies) crêpes dentelles cookies (gavottes) * see headnote, crushed into cornflake size pieces
- For the Chocolate ganache layer
- 225 g (1 cup) heavy cream
- 200 g (7 ounces) chocolate 70% cacao
- 50 g (3 ½ Tablespoons) butter, cut into small pieces
Instructions
- Special equipment: 23 cm pastry circle with 2 cm sides or…if you don’t have a pastry circle you can make this in a tart pan with a removable base. You will end up with fluted, not straight sides.
- Make the Pastry:
- Cream together the butter and the sugar in the bowl of a standing mixer or a food processor. When smooth add the almond powder and once that is mixed in add the egg.
- Finally add the flour and salt and mix as little as possible, just until the dough comes together. Wrap in plastic film, pressing down on it to form a large, flat disc and chill for 30 minutes
- Make the praline:
- Spread the sugar over the base of a small, heavy duty pan in an even layer. Heat over moderate heat until it starts to liquefy. If you have a heat resistant silicone spatula use it to lightly stir the sugar as it melts – the caramel won’t stick to the silicone - if not, lift the pan and tilt to swirl the sugar so it cooks evenly. When the sugar starts to turn amber and smoke, remove from heat, stir in nuts, and spread evenly on piece of parchment paper or an oiled baking sheet. Let cool, then break the praline into medium pieces and transfer to a resealable plastic bag. Using a rolling pin, crush into pea-size pieces.
- Cook the dough:
- Preheat oven to 170° C (340°F). Roll out the dough into a circle about 1/8 cm thick (it should be rolled very thin) and a little larger than the size of your circle mold. You may not need all the dough. Place disc of dough on a lightly floured piece of parchment paper and dock (make smalls holes in) the dough with a fork. Place the dough back in the refrigerator for 15 minutes or until firm, then place in the oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until it looks golden brown and dry, it needs to be fully baked. As soon as it is done, remove from the oven, place the pastry ring on the pastry and press down like you are cutting out a cookie – but leave the ring in place. (if you are using a tart shell with a removeable base, while the pastry is still hot, use a sharp knife to cut out a circle, using the base as a guide. Let the pastry firm up slightly then place it in the tart shell.)
- Finish praline layer:
- While the pastry is cooking, melt the butter and chocolate together, either in a microwave at 600 W for 2 minutes or in a heat resistant bowl over simmering water. (A bain-marie) Add the crushed praline to the chocolate and butter, then the gently add the crushed cookies, being careful not to crush them. Pour the mixture over the still warm pastry and spread it out with a spatula or the back of a spoon.
- Make the ganache:
- Pour the cream into a small pot and bring to a boil.
- Cut the chocolate into small pieces. Place over a pot of simmering water and heat just until the chocolate starts to melt. Remove the chocolate from the heat and pour the hot cream over it. Leave for 30 seconds, then stir to mix. Add the butter and continue mixing until the ganache is smooth. Pour the ganache over the praline filling and tilt the pan as needed until you have an even layer of chocolate. If necessary , smooth the chocolate with a spatula.
- All done:
- Chill the tart for 2 hours before serving. When ready to serve, run a small sharp knife under hot water, dry it on a tea towel, then, while still warm, run the knife around the sides to loosen the tart, then lift off the mold. Serve the tart at room temperature.
3.1
https://www.charlottepuckette.com/recipes/desserts/tarte-fine-au-chocolat/
