Chocolate & Cherry Tart in Individual Tartlets

Before starting this Chocolate & Cherry Tart in Individual Tartlets recipe, organise all the necessary ingredients for the hazelnut rich shortcrust pastry.

Place in the stand mixer and work to obtain an intimate mixing of the ingredients for the base not to emulsify, which would make the base more difficult to work later in the recipe.

When the butter, ground hazelnuts and icing sugar are combined, stop the stand mixer. Add the egg yolks.

Resume mixing on low speed, without working the preparation too much.

Stop the mixer and remove the pastry from the flat beater.

Mix the flour and baking powder, then sift...

... over the preparation. It is essential to sift the flour and baking powder together.

Resume mixing on low speed to avoid flour spatter.

Stop the food mixer when combined.

... and transfer the pastry on a baking sheet lined with cling film. The pastry should be rather smooth.

Cover with cling film...

... and flatten evenly. Refrigerate to obtain a firm consistency which will be easier to work with a rolling pin.
I recommend making this rich shortcrust pastry the day before.

For the milk chocolate crémeux: (make the day before) Organise all the necessary ingredients.

In a saucepan, pour the whipping cream, the whole milk...

... and glucose syrup.

Bring to a boil.

Combine the egg yolks with a whisk.

... pour a small amount in the egg yolks and whisk.

Add the egg yolk preparation to the boiling milk and cream...

... and cook 'à la nappe' (i.e. until the consistency is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon). The temperature shouldn't exceed 80 or 85°C.

When cooked, pour the preparation over the milk chocolate couverture, passing it through a chinois or fine sieve.

Combine gently with a rubber spatula.

Pour the chocolate crémeux in a high, narrow recipient (jug with pouring spout).

Process with a hand blender until smooth and homogeneous.

Transfer into a recipient...

... and place cling film on the surface of the cream. Reserve in the fridge overnight.

For the pastry cases: Roll out the hazelnut rich shortcrust pastry...

... to a thickness of 3mm, using a rolling pin.

Arrange rounded oval rings on a Silichef® perforated baking sheet.

Line 5 rings with the pastry. The rings don't need to be greased.

Gently shape the pastry following the mould edges. Remove any pastry excess with the tip of a knife.

Bake at 170°C (gas 3) for about 20 minutes, in a fan-assisted oven.

When cooked, remove from the oven...

... and slightly sprinkle with Mycryo cocoa butter, which will make it resistant to moisture. Leave to cool.

For the cherry mousse: Organise all the necessary ingredients.

Steep the gelatine sheet in cold water.

Place the cherry purée and castor sugar in a saucepan and heat.

When the gelatin is soft, squeeze with your hands to drain and add to the hot cherry purée. Combine until the gelatine has dissolved completely.

Pour the hot preparation into a baking sheet with raised edges so it cools down quickly.
Do not refrigerate; the preparation should not jellify.

Beat the whipping cream until you obtain a whipped cream.

Add the whipped cream to the cold cherry purée and fold gently with a rubber spatula.

Fill the pastry shells with the cherry mousse. I recommend using a small funnel with piston for an easier operation. Fill up to the rim and refrigerate.

Scoop the chocolate crémeux into a piping bag fitted with a Saint-Honoré nozzle...

... and pipe a curved lace on top of the cherry mousse.

In a small bowl, tip a small quantity of clear mirror glaze and a tablespoon of cherry purée. Combine well.

Fill a decorating bag with the preparation.

Scoop drops of red glaze over the surface.

Bury a few chocolate squares in the cream and sprinkle with a few gold flakes. These chocolate squares are made using milk chocolate couverture (Alunga), which has been tempered and spread between 2 sheets of acetate. When crystallised, cut into squares with a knife.