Walnut Tartlets With Chocolate Ganache Filling Recipes

Steps:

• In a small bowl, beat butter and cream cheese until smooth; beat in flour. Drop dough by scant tablespoonfuls into greased miniature muffin cups; with well-floured hands, press dough onto bottoms and up sides of cups., Bake at 325° for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely., Place chocolate chips in a small bowl. In a small saucepan, bring cream just to a boil. Pour over chocolate; whisk until smooth. Transfer to a small bowl; cover and refrigerate until firm., Beat chocolate mixture until soft peaks form. Pipe or spoon into tart shells. Garnish with whipped cream, raspberries and confectioners' sugar if desired.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Tear off a piece of foil twice as large as crust. Fold it in half and smear it with butter; lay buttered side onto crust. Weight foil with a pile of dried beans or rice (these can be reused for this purpose), pie weights, or a tight-fitting ovenproof skillet or saucepan - anything that will sit flat on the surface. Bake 12 minutes, then remove foil and continue to bake at 350 degrees, until crust is a beautiful shade of brown, another few minutes. Remove and let cool on a rack while you prepare filling.
• Put sugar in a heavy 6- or 8-inch saucepan or deep skillet with a tablespoon of water and turn heat to medium. Cook, gently shaking pan occasionally, until sugar melts; then cook, stirring occasionally and scraping sides with a heat-proof flexible spatula, until mixture turns golden.
• Turn heat to low, then carefully add butter and cream. Cook, stirring constantly, until butter melts and mixture is uniform. Stir in walnuts and a large pinch of salt if you like, then spread on crust. Refrigerate for about an hour, then sprinkle with a little more salt and serve.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Make dough: In a food processor, pulse almonds until finely ground. Add sugar, flour, and salt; pulse until combined. Add butter, pulsing until coarse crumbs form with no large butter lumps (dough should clump together when pinched with fingers).
• Immediately transfer dough to a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Using a measuring cup, evenly press dough into the bottom and up the sides of pan.
• Bake in center of oven until golden brown and firm to the touch, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely, about 1 hour.
• Make ganache: Place chocolate in a large mixing bowl. In a small saucepan, bring cream to a boil. Pour hot cream, through a sieve, over chocolate. Stir until smooth and creamy in texture. Mix in vanilla.
• Pour chocolate mixture into center of cooled tart shell (if chocolate is lumpy, pass through a sieve). Let stand until set, about 2 hours, or refrigerate for 1 hour. Serve with whipped cream, if desired.

Steps:

• To make leaves use non-toxic leaves such as rose or lemon. You can get them from flower shop, just be sure to wash and dry them
• Prepare Chocolate Leaves and set aside. Directions for chocolate leaves: Place large sheet heavy-duty foil on counter.
• Fill saucepan 1/4 full (about 1 inch deep) with warm water. Place chocolate and shortening in 1-cup glass measure. To melt chocolate, place measure in warm water; stir frequently with rubber spatula until smooth. (Be careful not to get any water into chocolate or chocolate may become lumpy.)
• Brush melted chocolate onto underside of each leaf with small, clean craft paintbrush or pastry brush, coating leaf thickly and evenly. Carefully wipe off any chocolate that may have run onto front of leaf.
• Place leaves, chocolate-sides up, on foil. Let stand 1 hour or until chocolate is set.
• Carefully peel leaves away from chocolate beginning at stem ends; refrigerate chocolate leaves until ready to use.
• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Place walnuts in food processor. Process using on/off pulsing action until walnuts are finely chopped, but not pasty.
• Reserve 2 tablespoons walnuts. Place remaining walnuts in medium bowl. Add flour, sugar and lemon peel; blend well. Cut in butter with pastry blender or two knives until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in egg with fork until mixture holds together.
• Spoon 2 teaspoonfuls mixture into ungreased mini-muffin cups. Press dough onto bottom and up side of each cup with fingers.
• Bake 16 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 5 minutes in pan. Remove shells from pans. Cool completely on wire racks.
• Prepare Chocolate Ganache. Spoon 1/2 teaspoon ganache into each shell. Sprinkle reserved 2 tablespoons chopped nuts evenly over shells. Gently push chocolate leaf into each shell.
• Store tightly covered in refrigerator up to 1 week.
• Directions for ganache: Heat whipping cream and butter in small saucepan over medium heat until butter melts and mixture boils, stirring frequently with wooden spoon. Remove saucepan from heat. Stir in chocolate and vanilla until mixture is smooth, returning to heat for 20 to 30 second intervals as needed to melt chocolate. Keep warm (ganache is semi-firm at room temperature).