Chocolate Hazelnut Tartlets

Chocolate tartlet shells:

• 150g butter cubed
• 90g powdered sugar
• 30g almond meal
• 2g salt
• 1 large egg
• 230g all-purpose flour
• 20g cocoa powder

 Hazelnut praline:

• 200g hazelnuts (preferably not hulled)
• 133gr sugar
• 34g water

 Chocolate ganache:

• 100g heavy cream
• 130g bittersweet chocolate
• 30g butter cubed

Decoration:

• Whole toasted hazelnuts
• Cocoa nibs

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Prepare the chocolate tartlet shells:

1. Combine flour and cocoa powder in a medium to large bowl.
2. Cream together butter, salt, sugar, almond meal and the egg in another bowl.
3. Add in the flour mixture in two times.
4. Once the dough forms a smooth ball, make a slab, wrap it in plastic wrap and chill it for 1h in the fridge.
5. Take the dough out and cut it in half. Put halfback in the fridge while working with the other half. Roll it in a 3mm thicksheet.
6. Preheat the oven at 350F / 180C
7. Grease the inside of the tart rings and fill them with the dough:
   1. Either cut larger disks than your tart rings and then place them loosely inside the rings, carefully apply the pastry around the edges of the ring and make sure there is no gap between the bottom and the edge.
   2. Or, using the ring cut out the base of the tart, then cut strings of dough larger than the edge of the rings and long enough to cover the inside edge of the ring.
8. Trim off the excess dough and blind bake for20min, then 10 min without the weights
9. Let cool the tart shells on a wire rack 

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Prepare the praline:

1. Pour water and sugar in a big enough sauce pan. Remove sugar from the sides of the pan with a wet brush. Heat until it boils
2. When the syrup reaches 116C (241F) Add the almonds and hazelnuts. Decrease heat to medium-low heat and stir. Note: it is important to decrease the heat to allow the nuts to roast properly without cooking the sugar too fast
3. Keep stirring the sugar / nuts mixture. Be patient, it will take some time. The sugar will start crystallizing and go back to a sugar crumble consistency coating the nuts. At this stage the nuts will roast and take flavor. The sugar will then melt down and become caramel. Do not stop stirring or increase the heat. This process will be pretty long, about25-30min.
4. When all the sugar has melted and the caramel has a beautiful amber color pour the mixture onto a baking mat or parchment paper
5. Once completely cooled break down into pieces. In a blender, blend the bark into a powder then a praline paste. This stage may take some time. You should not need to add any oil as the oil from the nuts will come out. Watch the blender temperature as it may overheat. In that cases top for 10 min and resume blending after.

Prepare the ganache:

1. Heat the heavy cream
2. Pour the heavy cream over the chocolate and let sit for 5min
3. Mix well and add the butter.

Assembly:

1. In each shell, pour 1 ½ tbsp hazelnut pralineand then fill the tartlet shell with the ganache.
2. Put in the fridge for at least 1h
3. Top each tartlet with a hazelnut and cocoa nibsif desired.
4. Enjoy!

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