Chocolate Orange Mini Tartlet
(Makes 48 tiny tarts)

Some people just don’t think it’s dessert unless it’s chocolate, even during the holidays. So this one is for them. It is a rich, dark chocolate filling laced with orange, in a crisp cream cheese crust. The filling is easily made in a microwave oven, and everything can be made ahead and assembled the day you serve them. They are lovely garnished with whipped cream and candied orange peel.

For the filling:
5 ounces excellent quality bittersweet chocolate
1 cup half and half
1 cup heavy cream
5 tablespoons granulated sugar
4 yolks from eggs graded large
1 egg, graded large
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
pinch salt
freshly grated zest from one Valencia or juice orange

For the crust:
8 ounces unsalted butter, at cool room temperature
6 ounces cream cheese (do not use nonfat) at cool
room temperature
2 cup bleached cake flour (not self-rising)

Whipped cream, for garnish

First make the filling:
Place the chocolate, the two kinds of cream, and the sugar in an 8-cup microwave proof glass measure, and microwave, uncovered, for 2 minutes. Stir with a wire whisk until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth. Add the egg yolks and the egg, and stir again with the wire whisk until smooth. Microwave, uncovered, for two minutes. Beat fairly vigorously with a wire whisk until the mixture is very smooth. Add the vanilla, the salt and the orange zest and stir until it is thoroughly blended. Set the filling aside while you make the crusts. The filling can be made ahead and refrigerated for up to two days. 

Next make the crusts:
If you are baking the crusts right away, preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and arrange the oven racks so they divide the oven into thirds. Line mini muffin pans with paper liners whether you are making the crusts ahead or baking them now.

Place the butter and cream cheese in a mixing bowl and beat on medium high speed for about 3 minutes until the mixture is light, fluffy and smooth. Scrape the bowl and add the flour, blending on low speed just until the flour is mixed in. Using a cookie scoop or a one-tablespoon measure, divide the dough into the paper lined muffin cups. Coat your fingertips with flour and use your index fingers to pat the dough into the paper liners.  Be sure the dough goes all the way up the sides of the liners. If you are making the crusts ahead, you can freeze them at this point. See the Recipe Guidelines page for instructions on freezing. If you are baking them now, place the unbaked crusts briefly into the freezer while you prepare to bake them.

When you are ready to bake the crusts, tear heavy-duty aluminum foil into 48 pieces, each about 2 inches square.  Spray the shiny sides with non-stick pan spray, and press the shiny side of each piece of foil down into a dough-lined muffin cup, pressing the foil firmly against the dough.  Bake the foil-lined crusts (still in the muffin pans) in the preheated oven on the bottom rack, for 10 minutes.  Rotate the pans halfway through the baking time. Pull the muffin pans from the oven and very quickly remove the foil from the crusts. Press down the bottoms of the crusts if they have puffed, and return the pans to the oven. Bake for another 3 minutes.  Remove the pans from the oven and set them on wire racks to cool for 10 minutes. Then remove the crusts, in the paper cups, and place them on the wire racks to cool.  When cool, you can store them at cool room temperature in an airtight container for up to 5 days, or you can fill them with the Chocolate Orange filling the same day you will be using them, refrigerating them until about 30 minutes before they will be served. Garnish with whipped cream.

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