Choc Hazelnut Tart with Toasted Meringue
These luscious tarts feature a rich, creamy and velvety-smooth chocolate filling inside a chocolate hazelnut shortbread crust. The tarts are topped with a cloud of toasted meringue and served with fresh cherries for the ultimate in decadent Valentine’s Day desserts.
How long will it take?
1 hour, plus cooling time
What’s the serving size?
Makes 8 mini tarts
What do I need?
For the Chocolate Hazelnut Crust
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- ¾ cup icing sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
- ¼ cup cocoa powder
- ¼ cup hazelnuts
- ¼ cup cornflour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 ½ cups plain flour
For the Filling
- ½ cup caster sugar
- ¼ cup cornflour
- 2 ¼ cups full cream milk
- ¾ cup thickened cream
- 5 free range egg yolks
- 85 g milk chocolate, finely chopped
- 170 g dark chocolate, finely chopped
- 3 tbsp butter
- 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
For the Toasted Meringue
- 4 egg whites
- ¼ tsp cream of tartar
- 1 cup caster sugar
- Fresh cherries to serve
How do I make it?
- Preheat oven to 180C. Line a baking tray with baking paper and spread hazelnuts evenly over the tray. Roast in the oven for 10 minutes or until the hazelnuts are lightly toasted. Remove the skins by placing the hazelnuts in a clean tea towel and rubbing gently. Set aside to cool completely.
- Make the filling next, to allow it to chill before filling your tarts. In a medium saucepan, whisk together egg yolks, caster sugar, cornflour, and salt. Add ¾ cup of milk and ¼ cup of cream and whisk into mixture until it is smooth, then add remaining milk and cream. Place saucepan over medium low heat and bring to a gentle simmer, continuing to whisk until thickened, about 10 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the heat, and stir in the chopped chocolate, butter, and vanilla. Pour the pudding through a fine sieve into a heat proof bowl and cover with clingfilm ensuring that the clingfilm is touching the surface. Refrigerate until completely cooled, about 4 hours.
- Meanwhile, make the chocolate hazelnut crust by creaming butter and icing sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer until fluffy. Beat in vanilla until combined.
- Use a food processor or mortar and pestle to grind the hazelnuts into a fine grind. In a small bowl, mix together flour, cocoa powder, cornflour, ground hazelnuts, and salt until combined. Add to the butter and sugar mixture and mix until the dough comes together. Scoop dough out onto a piece of clingfilm and shape into a disc. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
- Preheat your oven to 180C.
- Remove dough from fridge and roll it out to about ½ centimetre thickness on a lightly floured surface. Use the bottom of one of your tart pans to trace and cut 8 circles from the dough.
- Grease tart pans, then gently press the the dough circles into the pans. Bake tart shells for 8-10 minutes or until set. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before filling.
- When cool, remove shortbread crusts from the pans. Evenly distribute the filling between the crusts and smooth with the back of a spoon.
- Make Toasted Meringue by beating egg whites with an electric mixer on high speed until soft peaks form. Add cream of tartar and gradually add sugar, one tablespoon at a time, until all incorporated and the meringue has formed stiff peaks.
- Spoon meringue onto each tart, mounding it into a peak. Use a kitchen blowtorch or the griller of your oven to toast the meringue until gently browned.
- Serve garnished with fresh cherries.
