Chocolate and caramel are enhanced with port wine, Spanish Marcona almonds, and fleur de sel, a delicate sea salt, for ultra-rich miniature tarts that are wonderfully unctuous, like fine truffles. The large yield of this recipe makes it perfect for parties; just don’t expect to have any left over. These tartlets have a tendency to disappear rather quickly.
Recipe information
Yield
Makes 40
Ingredients
For the Crust
For the Filling
Preparation
Step 1
Make the crust: Pulse flour, cocoa, sugar, and fleur de sel in a food processor until combined. Add butter; pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add eggs, and process just until dough comes together. Pat dough into a disk. Wrap in plastic. Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.
Step 2
On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough 1/8 inch thick. Using a 3-inch round cookie cutter, cut 10 rounds from dough. Transfer remaining dough to a dusted baking sheet; refrigerate. Fit dough rounds into 10 round tartlet molds (each 2 1/4 inches in diameter). Trim excess dough flush with rims. (Refrigerate scraps.) Refrigerate or freeze shells until firm, about 30 minutes.
Step 3
Preheat oven to 350°F. Pierce bottoms of shells all over with a fork. Bake until firm, about 12 minutes. Let cool completely in molds on a wire rack; unmold.
Step 4
Working in batches of 10 and using remaining dough (reroll scraps), repeat steps 2 and 3 to make 40 shells total.
Step 5
Make the filling: Combine sugar and the water in a small saucepan over medium-high heat, gently stirring occasionally, until sugar has dissolved. Continue to cook, without stirring, until syrup comes to a boil, occasionally washing down sides of pan with a wet pastry brush to prevent crystals from forming. Let boil, swirling pan occasionally, until syrup is dark amber. Remove from heat.
Step 6
Carefully stir in cream and port (caramel will steam and spatter). Add butter and chocolate; stir until melted and smooth. Let cool until slightly thickened but still pourable, about 20 minutes.
Step 7
Cover bottoms of tart shells with chopped almonds (about 1 teaspoon per shell). Spoon filling into shells, almost to top. Sprinkle with almonds and fleur de sel. Refrigerate until ready to serve, 3 hours or up to 1 day.
