dulcis in fundo

While I was browsing for party food ideas during my lunchtime in Tesco, I came across these new tiny pastry tart cases, which looked really cute, so I got inspired to fill them with the same mixture that I use for some of my favourite chocolate truffles.

I was planning a big party to celebrate the end of my PhD, and I had a lot of food to cook and very little time, so dessert had to be something quick and easy. Apart from tiramisú, which is always a quick favourite that disappears in seconds (therefore no photo!) the only thing I managed to take pictures of was these tartlets, which I made on the day before and put in the fridge to cool until just before serving. And since I made enough filling and had leftovers, I rolled some truffles with the rest of the mixture, very simply shaping them into balls and rolling them in a mix of cocoa powder and sugar.

Place the pastry cases on a tray and carefully fill them with a small spoon while the chocolate mix is still liquid, as the more solid it gets, the more difficult it will become for them to have even surfaces. Leave to cool in room temperature and then put in the fridge for a couple of hours, until set. Take them out of the fridge half an hour before serving (or less if you prefer them cold) and dust with cocoa powder. I love them with some good quality vanilla ice cream.

If you have any leftover chocolate that you haven’t licked already while you’re filling the tarts, you can roll some truffles with it. Just put in the fridge until totally set, and then take small spoonfuls of the mix, quickly roll into round shapes in the tips of your fingers and then roll in a mix of cocoa powder and sugar. Put them on a plate and in the fridge again to cool, and don’t forget to take them out of the fridge at least half an hour before serving, there’s no worse waste than a cold truffle!