Cocoa Meringue Small Tart with Vanilla Cream

I can provide you with a recipe for delicious Cocoa Meringue Small Tarts with Vanilla Cream. A sweetly balanced fusion between the bitter cocoa of the shortcrust pastry, the sweetness of the cream, and the lightness of the meringue.

Ingredients for the cocoa shortcrust pastry:

• 200 g of all-purpose flour
• 100 g of cold butter
• 80 g of powdered sugar
• 30 g of bitter cocoa powder
• 1 large egg (or 1 yolk and a little milk)
• A pinch of salt

Ingredients for the vanilla cream:

• 250 ml of whole milk
• 1 vanilla bean
• 3 egg yolks
• 70 g of sugar
• 25 g of all-purpose flour or cornstarch

Ingredients for the meringue:

• 2 egg whites
• 100 g of sugar
• A pinch of salt

Preparation

1. Start with the cocoa shortcrust pastry: mix the flour with the cocoa and salt. Add the cold butter in pieces and crumble the mixture with your fingers until it looks like breadcrumbs. Add the powdered sugar, then the egg, and quickly knead until you obtain a compact mass. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let it rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

2. For the vanilla cream: heat the milk with the vanilla bean slit open to release the seeds. In a bowl, beat the egg yolks with the sugar until they become light and fluffy, then incorporate the sifted flour. Remove the vanilla from the milk and pour it in a thin stream into the yolk mixture, stirring. Put everything back on the heat and cook, continuing to stir until the cream thickens. Cover it with plastic wrap touching the surface and let it cool.

3. Roll out the cocoa dough into an even layer and line previously greased and floured tartlet molds. Prick the bottom with a fork and blind bake at 180 °C for about 15 minutes.

4. For the meringue: whisk the egg whites with a pinch of salt, gradually adding the sugar until you get a shiny and firm mixture.

5. Assembly: once the shortcrust base and the vanilla cream have cooled, fill the tartlets with the cream. Use a pastry bag to distribute the meringue over the cream. Lastly, use a kitchen torch to brown the surface of the meringue, or you can briefly pass the tartlets under the oven’s broil function to color them.

Did You Know?

The Cocoa Meringue Small Tart is a sophisticated dessert that combines different textures for a unique tasting experience. The Italian meringue, cooked in a bain-marie, is more stable and shiny than other types and lends itself very well to the final browning. This dessert is perfect for impressing your guests during an afternoon tea or as a refined dessert at the end of a meal.