Home > Orange & Chocolate Heart-Shaped Tart

Orange & Chocolate Heart-Shaped Tart

Serves: 2

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 9-inch, ready-made pie dough (or use recipe, below)
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate discs or chips
  • 1/4 pound of cream cheese
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 tablespoon Grand Marnier
  • 10 raspberries
  • 10 segments or sections from an heirloom navel orange, or your favorite kind of orange (see Chef's Note, below)
  • Powdered sugar
  • 2 mint sprigs

EQUIPMENT

  • 2 4-inch heart-shaped tart molds

DIRECTIONS

  1. Roll out the dough, divide into two pieces, place into 4-inch heart-shaped molds, and remove excess dough.
  2. Place the molds in the fridge for one hour.
  3. Take them out of the fridge, and line them with parchment paper. (Note: To keep the sides of the dough from falling inward, you could put dried beans in the molds, on top of the parchment paper.)
  4. Put the molds in a 350-degree oven for 25 minutes, or until they reach a golden color, then remove and set them aside.
  5. Heat the heavy cream in a pan, and when it starts boiling, remove it from the flame.
  6. Add the chocolate to the cream, and mix until it melts (about 5 minutes), creating a chocolate ganache. Then set aside.
  7. In a food mixer or a bowl, add the cream cheese, sugar, and Grand Marnier. Mix well, so the mixture becomes very creamy and smooth. (Note: You'll need to mix on a high speed for 1 to 2 minutes.)
  8. Carefully remove the tart shells from the molds.
  9. Next, fill the bottom of the tart shells with the chocolate ganache, dividing the amount of ganache in two for both shells.
  10. Then place the filled shells in the fridge for 5 minutes to slightly firm up the ganache.
  11. Take the shells out of the fridge, and fill each with the cream cheese mixture.
  12. Top each tart with five raspberries and five orange sections.
  13. Finish each tart with a dusting of powdered sugar and a sprig of mint.
Chef’s Note: To properly fillet or section an orange, do this: Using a paring knife, cut the ends off the orange. Then carefully cut the rind and pith off with a downward-curved motion to expose the flesh of the orange. At this point, the orange's rind and pith should be completely removed. Holding the orange, free each section from between its membranes by carefully running the paring knife along the right side of the section (along the inside of the right membrane). Then run the knife along the left side of the section (along the inside of the left membrane). At this point, you should be able to wiggle the section free from the orange. Do this with the rest of the orange segments, until you have 10.

Mitchel London's Dough

INGREDIENTS

  • 1/2 pound butter
  • 1/2 pound sour cream
  • 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3/4 pound pastry flour

    DIRECTIONS

  1. Mix the butter, sour cream, and vanilla in a mixer with a beater attachment on low speed.
  2. Slowly add the flour, and mix to blend well.
  3. Flour the counter top so the dough does not stick. Remove the blended dough from the mixer, and place on the floured counter top.
  4. Roll flat into rectangle.
  5. Fold the ends into the center, creating a smaller rectangle.
  6. Rotate the dough one turn, and fold ends towards the center again.
  7. Refrigerate for one hour, and repeat this process two additional times to create distinct layers.