Serving size: Serves 10 or more
Cooking time: More than 1 hour
Course: Dessert, Snacks
Favourite flavours: Cakes/baking, Chocolate

Choc-orange tartlets

INGREDIENTS

1 sheet frozen butter puff pastry, partially thawed
1 tablespoon icing sugar
1/3 cup (80ml) cream
150g dark chocolate, chopped finely
30g butter, chopped
2 teaspoons orange-flavoured liqueur
1¼ cup (275g) caster sugar
¼ cup (60ml) water
1 large orange, rind removed with a zester in long thin strips

METHOD

Preheat oven to 200°C (180°C fan-forced). Grease a 12-hole round-based patty pan tray.

Cut pastry sheet in half. Sift half the icing sugar over one pastry half. Place remaining pastry half on top, sift over remaining icing sugar.

Roll up pastry tightly from short side. Cut log into 12 slices. Freeze pastry
slices for 10 minutes (they will be too soft to handle, otherwise).

Roll each pastry slice between two sheets of baking paper until a little more than 7cm in diameter. Using a 7cm cutter, cut out rounds to make an even shape. Place pastry rounds in patty pan holes, gently pressing to fit. Freeze in tray for 10 minutes.

Bake on lower shelf of oven for about 12 minutes, then move to upper middle shelf of oven for a further 3 minutes or until browned lightly.

Place cream, chocolate, butter and liqueur in a small heatproof bowl. Place bowl over a pan of just simmering water, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes or until just melted and smooth. Remove bowl from saucepan and set aside until cooled and thickened.

Meanwhile, combine the sugar and water in a very small pan and cook, stirring, over low heat until the sugar dissolves. Add orange rind and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 7 minutes or until rind is translucent and syrup is slightly thickened. Cool.

Divide chocolate mixture among pastry cases. Just before serving, strain candied orange rind and decorate tartlets.