Black Bottom Tart Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough 1/8 inch thick. Fit dough into 2 rectangular 13 3/4-by-4 1/4-inch tart shells, letting it fall naturally into the corners and being careful not to stretch the dough. With your fingers or a rolling pin, trim dough so that it is flush with top edge of tart shells. Prick the tart shell all over with the tines of a fork. Chill until firm, at least 45 minutes.
• Line dough with parchment paper and fill with dried beans or lentils. Transfer to oven and bake until tart shells begin to color, about 20 minutes. Carefully remove the dried beans and parchment and return to the oven and bake until the tart shells become a deep golden color, about 15 to 20 minutes more. Cool completely on a cooling rack.
• In a heavy saucepan, dissolve 1/2 cup sugar and the cornstarch in the cold milk. Stir in the scalded milk, place the mixture over direct heat, and boil for 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Transfer the mixture to the top of a double boiler.
• Beat the egg yolks in a small bowl and stir in 3 tablespoons of the milk mixture. (This will keep the egg yolks from curdling when added to the remaining hot milk.) Pour this back into the remaining milk mixture, and cook over simmering water for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring constantly, until the mixture becomes quite thick. Remove from the heat and put 1 cup custard in a small bowl. Stir in the melted chocolate and vanilla, and set aside to cool completely. When cooled, spread evenly in the tart shell and chill until set.
• Meanwhile, soften the gelatin in the cold water and add to the remaining hot custard. (The gelatin will not dissolve properly if the custard has cooled.) Stir to combine. Fold in the rum and let the mixture cool at room temperature until it just begins to set.
• Beat the egg whites with the salt and cream of tartar until stiff but not dry. Gradually beat in the remaining 1/4 cup sugar, and then fold the egg whites into the custard mixture. Spoon this evenly over the chocolate mixture. Chill until set.
• Remove the baking sheet from the refrigerator. Using a sharp metal pastry scraper held at a 45-degree angle, scrape off a strip of chocolate from the pan; the chocolate will curl as it is scraped. Chill or freeze until the curls are firm and ready to use.
• The type of curl you get will be determined largely by the temperature of the chocolate when you remove it from the refrigerator. If it is very cold, the chocolate will splinter when scraped and give you small "thatch." If the chocolate is a little less cold, you will produce tight curls. And if the chilled chocolate approaches room temperature (or if a lightly pressed finger leaves a slight print), you will have big, loose curls or sheets of chocolate, which can be used as "bark." The type of curl you produce will also depend on how you scrape the chocolate from the sheet.
• Whip the cream until stiff and spread or pipe over the custard. Garnish as desired with chocolate thatch. Chill until ready to serve.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F. In food processor, place flour, butter, powdered sugar and salt. Cover; process, using quick on-and-off motions, until dough forms a ball. Press dough firmly and evenly in bottom and up side of ungreased 10-inch tart pan with removable bottom. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool completely, about 20 minutes.
• Place chocolate chips in small bowl. In small saucepan, heat 1/2 cup whipping cream over medium heat just until hot. Pour over chocolate chips; let stand 2 minutes. Gently stir until smooth. Pour into partially baked crust, spreading to edge. Refrigerate 30 minutes or until firm.
• In medium bowl, mix condensed milk, egg yolks, lime juice, lime peel and food color with whisk until blended. Pour filling over chocolate layer.
• Bake 20 to 22 minutes or until center is set. Cool completely in pan on cooling rack, about 2 hours. Cover; refrigerate until chilled, at least 2 hours but no longer than 2 days. Garnish with whipped cream and lime slices. Store covered in refrigerator.

Steps:

• 1. For the crust, chop peanuts in food processor and reserve 1/4 cup for garnish. Add brown sugar and flour to food processor and process in long bursts.
• 2. Place mixture in a large bowl. Stir in graham cracker crumbs, cinnamon, and salt. Add melted butter and incorporate well. Mix first with a fork, then with hands, rubbing everything together completely to form evenly dampened crumbs (if necessary, add 1 tsp. water to the mixture to assist in pressing the crust into place).
• 3. Spread the crumb mixture evenly and loosely into a lightly buttered 9-1/2-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Press the crust into the bottom and up the sides. Refrigerate crust for 10 to 15 minutes.
• 4. Place crust on center oven rack in a preheated 350-degree oven and bake for 7 to 10 minutes, until lightly browned. Let cool on wire rack.
• 5. For the ganache, in a small saucepan, bring heavy cream, butter, corn syrup and salt to a simmer, making sure butter is completely melted.
• 6. Place chocolate in a heat-proof mixing bowl and pour hot cream mixture over chocolate. Allow it to sit, untouched, for about 5 minutes. Add vanilla, and whisk until ganache is smooth.
• 7. Immediately pour ganache into cooled graham cracker crust, carefully tilting crust to coat the bottom and sides evenly.
• 8. Cool to room temperature; refrigerate crust for at least an hour.
• 9. For the peanut butter filling, combine cream cheese, peanut butter, sugar, milk, honey and salt with an electric mixer until well mixed.
• 10. Spoon peanut butter filling over the ganache layer and smooth with an offset spatula; chill in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
• 11. Spoon the jelly onto peanut butter layer and spread evenly (jelly may need to be warmed slightly in order to spread easily).
• 12. Sprinkle tart with reserved chopped peanuts. If desired, garnish with fruit matching jelly used, such as raspberries or strawberries.
• 13. Chill at least 1 hour. Carefully remove tart from pan before serving.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line muffin tins with paper cups or lightly spray with non-stick cooking spray.
• In a medium bowl, beat the cream cheese, egg, 1/3 cup sugar and 1/8 teaspoon salt until light and fluffy. Stir in the chocolate chips and set aside.
• In a large bowl, mix together the flour, 1 cup sugar, cocoa, baking soda and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Make a well in the center and add the water, oil, vinegar and vanilla. Stir together until well blended. Fill muffin tins 1/3 full with the batter and top with a dollop of the cream cheese mixture.
• Bake in preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes.

Steps:

• To make the crust: Lightly butter a 10-inch pie plate. On a lightly floured board, roll out the half of the pate brisee to a 1/8-inch thickness (unused dough can be wrapped and plastic and stored in the refrigerator or freezer). Place the dough in the pie plate, and press it into the bottom edges and along the sides. Trim the dough using scissors or a sharp paring knife. Crimp or decorate the edges of the crust if desired. Chill crust for 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Carefully line the pie plate with parchment paper, gently pressing the parchment into the edges of the crust; weigh down parchment with dried beans or pie weights. Bake until edges of pastry begin to turn golden, about 15 minutes. Carefully remove pie weights and parchment paper. Continue to bake until crust is golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes more. Transfer the crust to a wire rack to cool completely.
• To make the filling: Prepare an ice-water bath. In the top of a double boiler or in a heat-proof bowl set over simmering water, melt chocolate; set aside. Place 1/4 cup cold water in a small bowl, and sprinkle gelatin over it; set aside to soften.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together 4 egg yolks, 1/4 cup sugar, and the cornstarch; set aside. In a medium saucepan, combine milk and 1/4 cup sugar. Bring just to a boil. Add about one-quarter of the hot-milk mixture to the egg mixture, whisking constantly, until combined. Return egg-milk mixture to saucepan, and bring to a boil. Remove from heat when mixture has boiled and thickened, 3 to 4 minutes.
• Measure out 1 cup of custard, and transfer to a medium bowl. Add the melted chocolate and vanilla to it, stirring until the chocolate is melted. Transfer the bowl to the ice-water bath to cool completely. When cool, spread evenly in the bottom of the pie crust. Transfer pie crust to refrigerator until set, about 5 minutes. Add softened gelatin to remaining custard. Transfer pan to the ice-water bath to cool until just beginning to set.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat egg whites with salt and cream of tartar until soft peaks form. With machine running, gradually add remaining 1/2 cup sugar, and beat until stiff glossy peaks form. Stir 1/3 of whipped egg whites into custard to lighten. Gently but thoroughly fold in remaining whites and rum. Spread over chocolate layer. Refrigerate pie for at least 3 hours and up to overnight.
• Whip cream until stiff peaks form. Spread over custard or pipe on top with a pastry bag fitted with a star tip. Sprinkle chocolate shavings on top. Chill until ready to serve.

Steps:

• Unfold each pastry and roll to 1/8" thickness on a lightly floured surface. Using a 2-1/2" round cutter, cut out 24 circles from each pastry. Place circles in ungreased miniature (1-3/4") muffin pans. Prick pastry with a fork.
• Bake at 425° for 4-5 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool in pans on wire racks.
• Combine pudding mix and milk and cook pudding according to package directions for PIE FILLING.
• Remove 1/2 cup hot pudding to a separate bowl. Add chocolate morsels, stirring until smooth. Spoon 1 teaspoon chocolate mixture into bottom of each pastry.
• Stir rum or rum extract into remaining pudding. Spoon evenly over chocolate mixture in each pastry.
• Chill 2 hours.
• Pipe or dollop each tart with pre-whipped whipping cream.
• Garnish with chocoate shavings, if desired.
• Note: To make this into a 9-inch pie, spoon chocolate mixture into the bottom of a pre-baked 9-inch pastry shell. Cover chocolate mixture with rum-flavored pudding. Dollop with pre-whipped cream and garnish, if desired.
• Cooking Time is Chill Time.

Steps:

• TART PASTRY: In a medium mixing bowl stir together flour and sugar. Cut in butter till pieces are the size of small peas.
• In a small mixing bowl stir together egg yolks and water. Gradually stir egg yolk mixture into flour mixture. Gently knead the dough just till a ball forms.
• To prepare in a food processor, place the steel blade in the work bowl. Add flour, sugar and butter. Process with on/off turns till pieces are the size of small peas. Stir together egg yolks and water. With machine running, quickly add liquid through the feed tube. Stop machine as soon as all liquid is added. Process with 3 more on/off turns. Remove dough and shape into a ball.
• For easier handling, cover dough with plastic wrap and chill for 30-60 minutes. Use as directed in recipe.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into a 13-inch circle. Ease pastry into an 11-inch tart pan. Prick pastry. Line pastry with a double thickness of foil. Bake in a preheated 375F oven for 10 minutes. Remove foil and bake for 5-10 minutes more, or until light brown. Cool in pan on rack.
• FILLING: Meanwhile in a small heavy saucepan melt 1/3 cup of chocolate pieces or chopped chocolate and 1 tablespoons margarne or butter over low heat; set aside. In a heavy saucepan stir together 1/4 cup whipping cream and corn syrup. Bring to a gentle boil. Reduce heat and cook for 2 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in chocolate mixture. Cool to room temperature. Spread cooled mixture over the bottom and up the sides of the pastry shell; set aside.
• In a saucepan combine sugar, cornstarch and coffee crystals. Stir in milk. Cook and stir over medium heat till mixture is thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir for 2 minutes more. Removed from heat . Gradually stir about half of the hot mixture into the beaten egg yolks. Return all to saucepan. Cook and stir till bubbly. Reduce heat. Cook and stir for 2 minutes more. Remove from heat. Stir in 1/2 cup chocolate pieces or chopped chocolate, 2 tablespoons margarine or butter, and the vanilla till chocolate is melted. Pour into pastry shell. Cover surface with plastic wrap. Chill for 4-24 hours, or till firm. To serve, carefully remove plastic wrap; remove sides of pan. Pipe whipped cream over top of pie. Garnish with chocolate curls.

Steps:

• In a medium microwave-safe bowl, microwave 1 1/4 cups cream until hot, about 3 minutes. Add chocolate and let stand until melted, 5 to 10 minutes. Whisk to combine, then whisk in rum. Pour 1 1/2 cups chocolate mixture into crust (reserve remaining chocolate mixture). Sprinkle nuts over top. Refrigerate pie 3 hours (or up to 2 days).
• In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat 2 cups cream with sugar on high until stiff peaks form, 2 minutes. Top pie with whipped cream, then dot with reserved chocolate mixture. With a skewer, gently swirl chocolate through whipped cream.