Almond Cream

• 3 oz butter, softened
• 3 oz sugar
• 1 whole egg
• 1 egg yolk
• 3 oz almond meal
• 1 oz all-purpose flour, sifted
• pinch of salt
• 1 tbsp liquor of choice (caramel infused vodka used in the video)
• 24 slices of canned pears in light syrup (3 per tartlet)
• vanilla extract, couple of drops (optional)

Chocolate Crust

• 2½ cups all-purpose flour
• ⅔ cup sugar
• 4 tbsp Dutch cocoa
• 1 tsp salt
• 6 oz butter
• 6 egg yolks
• 1 tsp vanilla
• ¼ tsp lemon or orange zest (optional)

Glaze

• apricot jam or favorite preserve/jam

Special Equipment

• parchment paper

Make Chocolate Crust

1. Mix sifted flour, sugar, cocoa and salt
2. Cut butter into dry mixture until it resembles coarse meal
3. Add eggs and vanilla (and zest if using). Mix until incorporated.  Dough will be rough, shaggy, and a bit crumbly
4. Flatten dough into a disk, wrap in plastic, and let rest in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes
5. Line tartlet molds with parchment paper
6. Roll out on a lightly floured board to between ⅛" and ¼ “ thick.  Chill before baking

Make Almond Cream, Fill Tarts & Bake

1. Preheat oven to 375º
2. Cream butter and sugar until pale and light
3. Add eggs, yolks and vanilla slowly
4. Add almond meal, flour and salt
5. Add liquor
6. Fill tart shells with almond cream and pears. Bake until puffed and golden brown, about 25 minutes
7. Add warmed apricot jam glaze on top, remove from ring molds, and serve

Note: This dough needs to be kneaded briefly before rolling out. For tartlets, it works best to pull off a small lump, knead it, and roll it out.  This is a very forgiving dough, so if it cracks, just squish it back together