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Tartlets with dark chocolate namelaka

17/11/2023

The tartlets with dark chocolate namelaka are an extraordinary dessert. Namelaka is a Japanese cream that means “super creamy” and is famously smooth and silky. To make them, I will first give you the list of ingredients and then I will guide you through the preparation.

Ingredients for the tartlets:

For the shortcrust pastry:

  • 200 g of type 00 flour
  • 100 g of cold butter, diced
  • 80 g of icing sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 pinch of salt

For the dark chocolate namelaka:

  • 200 g of dark chocolate (at least 70% cocoa)
  • 140 ml of fresh cream
  • 20 ml of whole milk
  • 40 g of glucose or corn syrup (optional, but helps to add gloss)
  • 3 g of sheet gelatin (or fish glue)

Preparation

For the shortcrust pastry:

  1. In the bowl of a food processor, put the flour, icing sugar, and cold butter. Process until the mixture is sandy.
  2. Add the egg and the pinch of salt and process until the dough is uniform.
  3. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let it rest in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
  4. Roll the dough out with a rolling pin on a lightly floured surface to a thickness of about 3 mm.
  5. Line the previously buttered and floured tartlet molds with the pastry, prick the bottom and blind bake in a preheated oven at 180 °C for about 15-20 minutes until golden.

For the dark chocolate namelaka:

  1. Soften the sheet gelatin in cold water.
  2. Finely chop the dark chocolate and place it in a bowl.
  3. Heat the cream and milk in a saucepan until just boiling. Add the squeezed gelatin and stir to dissolve it completely.
  4. Pour the hot liquid over the chopped chocolate and wait a minute for the heat to begin melting it.
  5. With a spatula, stir from the center towards the outside trying to incorporate as little air as possible, until you obtain a smooth and even cream. If you want to add gloss, incorporate the glucose or corn syrup at this point.
  6. Pour the cream into each now cold tartlet and let rest in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, until it has set firmly.

Once the tartlets are ready, you can decorate them to your liking with fresh fruit, colored sprinkles, or a dusting of cocoa powder for visual contrast.

Curiosity

Namelaka, originally Japanese, lends itself very well to being flavored with liqueurs or extracts, such as vanilla or mint, to give it a personal and surprising touch.

Tartlets with dark chocolate namelaka