Cocoa Tartlets with Cream and Blackberries

Cocoa tartlets with cream and blackberries are a delicious and elegant dessert, perfect for concluding a meal or accompanying an afternoon tea. Here are the ingredients and the step-by-step procedure.

Ingredients

For the cocoa shortcrust pastry:

• 200 g of all-purpose flour
• 30 g of unsweetened cocoa powder
• 100 g of powdered sugar
• 100 g of cold butter, cubed
• 1 large egg
• A pinch of salt

For the custard cream:

• 250 ml of whole milk
• 3 egg yolks
• 70 g of sugar
• 20 g of all-purpose flour
• 1 vanilla pod or vanilla extract

For decorating:

• Fresh blackberries, as needed
• Powdered sugar for dusting (optional)

Preparation

1. Start by preparing the cocoa shortcrust pastry: in a bowl, sift the flour with the cocoa powder and powdered sugar. Add the cold butter and work the mixture with your fingertips until you get a sandy consistency.
2. Add the egg and a pinch of salt, and work quickly to form a smooth ball. Wrap the shortcrust pastry in cling film and let it rest in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
3. In the meantime, prepare the custard cream: heat the milk with the slit vanilla pod over medium heat until it starts to simmer. In another bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the sugar until you get a light and fluffy mixture, then incorporate the sifted flour.
4. Remove the vanilla from the milk and pour some of the hot milk onto the yolk mixture, stirring continuously. Pour everything back into the pot with the remaining milk and cook over low heat, stirring constantly until the cream thickens.
5. Remove the cream from the heat, transfer it to a bowl and cover with cling film to touch to prevent a skin from forming. Let it cool completely.
6. Preheat the oven to 180 °C. Roll out the cold cocoa dough and line some previously buttered and floured tartlet molds. Prick the base with a fork and bake in the oven for about 12-15 minutes or until fully cooked.
7. Once the pastry and cream are cold, fill the tartlets with custard cream and decorate with fresh blackberries. Dust with powdered sugar before serving if desired.

Curiosity

Tartlets are a classic of French patisserie, but they can be easily personalized with an Italian twist by choosing high-quality local ingredients, such as good alpine butter for the pastry or freshly milked milk for the cream. Blackberries can also be foraged in Italian woods during the summer and autumn, making the dessert even more special and tied to the territory.