Chocolate Strawberry Tarts

This was a recipe i made while in my Cookies Tarts and Friandise class. I loved making these, they were so beautiful and dainty and perfect for a little get together. They remind of the tarts in the movie Marie Antoinette. 

Yields: 12 pastries

Sweet rich short crust pastry dough

3 oz granulated sugar

7 oz Unsalted Butter, room temperature

1 Egg

1tsp Vanilla

8.5 oz Bread flour

Place the sugar, butter, eggs, and vanilla in a mixing bowl; mix at low speed with the dough hook just until combined. Add the flour and mix only until dough is smooth. Place the dough on a paper-lined sheet pan; press out as flat as possible so that the dough takes up less space and cools quickly. Cover and refrigerate until firm enough to work with, about 30 minutes. Note: If over-mixed, the dough will be much harder to roll out.   

8 oz bittersweet chocolate, to brush the tarts *see note

8 oz Mascarpone cheese

2 Tbsp Sugar

8 oz Cream cheese

Grand Marnier, to taste

Cream together the mascarpone, sugar and cream cheese until light and fluffy, the beat in grand marnier to taste. 

12 Large, ripe strawberries

Red Currant jelly for brushing

Chocolate curls for decorating *see note

Bring the dough to room temperature. Preheat the oven to 375F.

Roll out the dough as thinly as possible on a lightly floured work surface, and then cut 12 circles with a cookie cutter. Use these to line 6 of the tart or brioche pans. Trim the edges and prick the bases. Then set another pan inside each one or fill the inside with beans- this will weight while it is baking. Chill or freeze for 15 minutes. Bake blind for 10-12 minutes until golden and set. Remove the inner pans and return to the oven to dry out for 5 minutes. Cool, and then remove from the outer pans. Repeat with the remaining dough to make another 6. 

Spoon Mascarpone mixture into cooled tarts, then top with cut strawberry. Decorate with chocolate curls, and a chocolate decor. 

*Notes:

Brushing the insides of the pie crust with chocolate keeps the crust crisp and adds a new dimension to the traditional strawberry tart.

Chocolate curls, you can either buy, or make yourself.

Chocolate decorations can be made by piping tempered chocolate into the desired pattern and let to set. Once set be careful picking up as to not break the delicate decorations.  

Heat jelly to thin out and then let cool, jelly doesn't have to be red currant jelly you can use any kind of jelly you have on hand.