Recipe

Sweet Tart Dough

Step 1: Cut the butter into small pieces. Whisk the flours, almond flour, sugar and salt together in a medium bowl.

Step 2: With your fingertips, work in the butter until the texture is sandy. Quickly beat the egg with a fork in a small bowl, then add to the butter mixture and mix with your hands until the dough just comes together.

Step 3: Flatten the dough into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 2 hours.

Step 4: Put the dough on a large sheet of plastic wrap or wax paper, cover it with another sheet, and roll it into a 12″ circle. Lift off the top sheet of plastic wrap and carefully invert the dough into a 10″ tart pan with a removable bottom. Lift off the second sheet and gently press the dough into the bottom and up the sides of the pan, then cut off the excess by running the rolling pin over the edge. (The dough is fragile, but any tears can be patched easily.) Chill for 30 minutes – 1 hour.

Tart Shell

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 325°F. Cut out a parchment paper circle and line the tart shell with the parchment. Fill with dried beans or pie weights and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the beans and paper and bake for 5 more minutes.

Step 2: Brush the tart shell all over with the egg wash. Bake for 5 – 7 minutes longer, until golden brown. Let cool to room temperature. Reduce the oven temperature to 300°F.

Chocolate Filling

Step 1: Finely chop the chocolate and put it in a bowl. Combine the cream, milk and sugar in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Pour the boiling liquid over the chopped chocolate and let stand for 30 seconds, then mix with a rubber spatula until the mixture is smooth.

Step 2: Let cool to lukewarm, then mix in the egg.

Step 3: Pour the filling into the baked tart shell and bake for 25 – 30 minutes. The tart is done when the filling is just set. If you shake the pan gently, the chocolate mass should move in one block. Let the tart cool to room temperature on a rack. Do not put it in the refrigerator! This tart should be served at room temperature on the day it is made.

Finishing Touches

Step 1: Unmold the tart. Arrange the strawberries on top of the tart (if using bigger strawberries, cut them into halves or quarters). Sprinkle with fleur de sel and add a dash of olive oil.

Reprinted with permission from Greg Marchand’s Frenchie (2014 Artisan Books).