Time goes by very fast and Autumn is now definitely here, good bye warm sunny days, hello wet grey days. I see one definite advantage of this seasonal change, we can now indulge with less guilt in delicious comfort food again. And the first thing that came to my mind for a dessert was "chocolate" but at the same time I wanted the tanguiness of lemon to remind us of the summer warmth, so not wanting to decided on either flavour I made the two flavours and ended up with 24 mini tartlets. Since I wanted to reduce the guilt factor I made them gluten free. Here is my recipe, it is only in metric I still need to convert it to cups and spoons, to be followed...
Mini Orange flavoured Chocolate pies and Mini Lemon pies
For 24 mini tarlets
Pie crust
Ingredients
30 gr Amaranth flour
80 gr White rice flour
65 gr Millet flour
75 gr Almond flour
40 gr Confectioners sugar
1 egg
125 gr cold unsalted butter
1.5 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder (I used Van Houten) (this is for half of the dough)
Method
Mix all dry ingredients then add egg and butter, either by hand or better in a stand up mixer, it is best to work fast and not overwork the dough as the butter will start softening fast.
Once all ingredients are mixed split the dough in 2 and wrap one half in clingfilm and place in the fridge for at least 1 hour to cool down, with the second half quickly mix the cocoa powder (I did it with a spatula) and wrap in a clingfilm and place in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
When it is cold enough place your dough ready to roll out between 2 sheets of cling film (this is the only way you will be able to roll it out effectively), roll it out thin then peel off the top sheet of cling film and using a 3 inch (7.7 cm) round cookie cutter start cutting the dough.
Delicately peel off each circle of dough and place them in each of the mini tartlet pans, pressing them down and removing excess dough with a knife.
When all the pans are full place them on a baking tray in the pre-heated oven at 350 F/176 C for 10 to 20 mn (depending on your oven), once cooked delicately remove them from the pans and place them on a wire rack to cool down.
Fillings
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Orange flavoured Chocolate cream / Ganache au chocolat à l'orange
Ingredients
100 gr chocolate (I used Ghirardelli 60% cocoa bittersweet chocolate)
100 gr heavy whipping cream
15 gr honey
Zest of 1 orange
A few drops of natural orange extract
100 gr heavy whipping cream whipped with
A dash of cointreau
1 tsp of confectioners sugar
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Method
Bring the cream and honey to a boil then set asside to cool down
Melt the chocolate in a Bain-Marie (hot water bath), adding the orange zest and extract
When the cream has cooled down start incorporating it to the chocolate, it is important that the cream is not hot, otherwise the chocolate will curdle
Once all incorporated you should obtain a smooth glossy chocolate cream.
By now the cream should be cool and you can incorporate the whipped cream, it will make for a lighter filling.
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Lemon curd
Ingredients
2 lemons juice and zest
2 eggs
74 gr sugar
28 gr butter
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Method
Mix Lemon zest, sugar, lemon juice and eggs and place container over a hot bath (Bain Marie), cook while whisking frequently for about 15 mn untill the cream sets, remove from the bain Marie and when it has cooled down a bit add the butter and whisk until all melted.
Set aside in the fridge.
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Assembling the tarlets
One hour before serving fill the tarlets with their respective fillings and place in the refrigerator to cool down.
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Bon appétit
