I made some chocolate-orange-custard tarts last week. Honestly, they tasted pretty good, but if I saw them in a patisserie I would give them a pass.

I remade them today but without the baked custard, chocolate and orange bases. (Truthfully, maybe a little over baked in my case.) Version 2.0 used a new method to make the tart case, and creme patisserie, chocolate ganache and a new orange drizzle.

The tart base was made using a food processor to mix the butter, sugar, salt and 1/4th of the flour. It’s basically the same method I use to make berry drop scones. Using the food processor is easier and quicker than cutting the butter into the sugar with your hands.

I use the “Martha Stewart” creme patisserie method and a standard eclair ganache recipe and method. The orange drizzle is simple the zest of one orange, 70 grams of confectioners sugar and enough fresh orange juice to make a pipeable paste.

There are a lot of steps in this recipe (none of them very difficult,) but believe me, it is well worth the effort.

CremePat – Chocolate – Orange Tart

Yield: Five 4” tarts.

INGREDIENTS
Tart Shell
• 100 g cold butter cut into small cubes
• 60 g icing sugar
• ½ tsp vanilla
• ¼ tsp salt
• 2 egg – 1 for the dough and the other 1 reserved for an egg wash
• 200 g all-purpose flour
Chocolate Ganache
• 150 g dark chocolate finely chopped
• 150 g heavy cream
• 2 Tbl corn syrup
• 1 tsp vanilla
Orange Crème
• 1 orange, juiced and zested
• 35g confectioners sugar
Crème Patisserie
• 1 c (175 ml) whole/full fat milk (¾ c 2% plus ¼ c heavy cream)
• 2 (40g) large egg yolks
• ¼ c (13 grams) granulated/caster sugar
• ⅛ c corn starch
• 1 Tbl butter
• ½ tsp vanilla extract

METHOD
Tart Shell

1. In a food processor pulse sugar, salt and 50g AP flour
2. Pulse in cubed butter and vanilla
3. Transfer to a mixing bowl and add egg and mix until incorporated
4. Stir in flour. Mix by hand like you are kneading bread until incorporated
5. Cover with plastic and refrigerate for 30 min
6. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
7. Butter or spray tartlet pans, or use non-stick pans
8. Roll dough to about ⅛” thick
9. Lay over tart mold and press into all crevices
10. Prick holes in bottom and sides of formed dough
11. Fill tarts with pastry weights. (For mini tartlet pans I put beans in a cupcake paper. For large pans use crumpled parchment paper filled with pie weights.)
12. Paint edges of the tartlet with the egg wash.
13. Bake in preheated oven 350° F (175 C) for 12 min
14. Remove from oven, remove weights, then roll top to cut off excess
15. Return to oven and bake 8 more minutes to dry the bottoms
16. Immediately remove from pans and cool on a wire
    
    Chocolate Ganache
17. Heat the cream to just below boiling.
18. Place the chopped chocolate in a heat proof bowl
19. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and let it sit for a couple of minutes
20. Add the corn syrup and vanilla and mix until smooth
21. Pour the chocolate into a sealed piping bag. (No piping tip required.)
22. Let the mixture cool to the desired viscosity.
    
    Orange Crème
23. Place the confectioners’ sugar and zest in a small bowl. Add the orange juice one drop at a time while stirring, until the desired viscosity is attained.
24. Pour into a piping bag with a small circular piping tip inserted. (Do not cut the end off yet.)
    
    Crème Patisserie
25. Whisk eggs and milk together then add to all other ingredients (except vanilla) to a medium saucepan.
26. Bring to boil, whisking constantly
27. Cook until it begins to thicken (it will look lumpy, its ok)
28. Sieve lumpy mixture into a bowl and add vanilla, mix thoroughly
29. Transfer to a sealed piping bag to cool. (No piping tip required.)
    
    ASSEMBLY
30. Pipe a ¼” layer of CremePat into each tart shell and smooth
31. Pipe a ⅛” layer of chocolate crème on the CremePat layer and smooth
32. Pipe concentric ⅛“wide circles of orange cream and feather the orange cream with a toothpick
33. Add a sprig of candied orange peel for garnish.