Mini chocolate mousse tarts

If I were to go somewhere far away, I would want it to be  a place with no cold seasons. Though, I like cold seasons just for three reasons: foggy mornings, the smell of burning leaves and the beautiful ways that brown and blue shades blend.

Yesterday, it seemed that I was some French mood. I have prepared mini chocolate mousse tarts  while I was listening to Notre-Dame of Paris musical. Pâte sucrée, mousse au chocolat, La fête des fous and offcourse Belle …

Now that I have discovered the perfect recipe for a perfect sweet French mood I will mark it in my repeat mode recipes list.

Mini chocolate mousse tarts

Pâte sucrée

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour1/3 cup sugar2 tablespoons cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 ounces (6 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

3 large egg yolks

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

• Mix flour, sugar, cocoa, and salt.
• Add butter, and mix until mixture resembles coarse meal, about 10 seconds.
• Add yolks and vanilla, and mix until it just begins to hold together.
• Wrap the dough in plastic, and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour.
• Heat the oven, lay a sheet, not too thin, cut slices and put them in mini tarts pans. Bake them 10-15 minutes.

Mousse au chocolat

6 ounces (170g) bittersweet  chocolate

6 ounces (170g) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

1/4 cup (60ml) dark coffee

4 large eggs, separated

2/3 cup (170g), plus 1 tablespoon sugar

2 tablespoons rum

1 tablespoon water

pinch of salt

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

• Heat a saucepan one-third full with hot water, and in a bowl set on top, melt together the chocolate, butter and coffee, stirring over the barely simmering water, until smooth.
• Fill a large bowl with ice water and set aside.
• Whisk the yolks of the eggs with the 2/3 cup of sugar, rum, and water for about 3 minutes over a bain marie, until the mixture is thick, like runny mayonnaise.
• Remove from heat and place the bowl of whipped egg yolks within the bowl of ice water and beat until cool and thick. Then fold the chocolate mixture into the egg yolks.
• In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites with the salt until frothy. Continue to beat until they start to hold their shape. Whip in the tablespoon of sugar and continue to beat until thick and shiny, than add the vanilla.
• Fold one-third of the beaten egg whites into the chocolate mixture, then fold in the rest of the whites just until incorporated, but don’t overdo it or the mousse will lose volume.

Fill the cooled tarts with the chocolate mousse and decorate the with cream or hazelnut or whatever you want. And, as I said, some good French songs!