Twice Baked Pain au Choc Frangipane Tartlets

by di Apr 09, 2016 0 comments

It may only be a problem in my house here in France but we always seem to have left over Pain au Chocolat pastries and I'm forever trying to find a way to use them up.

This is probably never the case in most houses as the flaky chocolaty lovelies are snapped up in quick fashion by anyone who can get their hands on them.
But, never the less, apart from Pain au Chocolat Pudding I have a hard time finding a use for them and it's a shame to see such yumminess go to waste.

With that said, I came up with this little gem today:
Twice Baked Pain au Choc Frangipane Tartlets
Not bad if I may say so especially since 3 of them were snapped up as soon as the photos were taken!

If you have access to Pain au Chocolates (or chocolate croissants) and are lucky enough to keep some back then this article is for you.
If you can't get them or they are too expensive you can always use a biscuit base as per a cheese cake recipe and twice bake it per the recipe or use simple sweet pastry but bake it only once.

Frangipane is, basically, a baked almond filling.
It's super easy to make and the ingredients are standard in most kitchens but ordinary almonds take on a different dimension when baked.

The "Twice Baked" bit is just that. The tartlets get cooked without filling then cooked again with filling.
It may seem like overkill but the idea is a crispy tartlet not soggy as it just wouldn't taste right.
The Frangipane mixture is fairly runny and an uncooked tartlet case would allow the mixture to escape.

These little guys are perfect partners for coffee or tea and can become a pretty tasty dessert, served warm with ice cream and fresh chopped fruit.

My baking skills aren't perfect and the tarts I made are a little...rustic looking, but don't be fooled, they tasted amazing and I'm already looking forward to the next time I have left over pastries so that I can have another go.

They may look "rustic" but they taste fantastic!

These are perfect treats with tea or coffee but equally they can become dessert served warm with ice cream and chopped fruit.
Another idea is to drizzle with caramel or chocolate sauce and top with toasted flaked almonds.

Making the tartlets is easy.
Place a small handful of the mixture in the tin then press into the sides and bottom making sure the thickness is consistent all the way around

Twice Baked Pain au Choc Frangipane Tartlets

Ingredients:

Recipe for 6 Tartlets

For the Tartlets:

3 stale Pain au Chocolates
½ Egg White

For the Frangipane:

35g Ground Almonds
50g White Sugar
Pinch of Salt
50g Butter
1 Egg
¼ tsp Vanilla Essence
¼ tsp Almond Essence - optional

The Mix:

Tartlets:

Turn oven on to 165°c fan assist or equivalent

I used a muffin tray for my tartlets so:
Grease 6 muffin moulds or ½ a tray then grease the underside of another tray or 6 moulds

Using a food processor pulse the pastries until they resemble small breadcrumbs
Add the egg white and pulse some more to moisten

Place a tablespoon of the mixture in each tin then press mixture up the sides and into the bottom of the tins until it resembles a tartlet
Make sure the mixture is the same thickness throughout

Once mixture pressed into the tins, carefully place the other tray (or 6 moulds) on top of them and press down lightly
Place into the oven and bake for 8 minutes
Take off top tray and continue baking the tartlets for another 3 minutes
Once finished remove from oven, take out of moulds and allow to cool on a wire rack

Frangipane:

Place all ingredients into a food processor and pulse until well blended - do not over mix or mixture will split
Place tartlets onto a baking sheet then divide Frangipane between the tartlets
Bake for 17 minutes until Frangipane is puffed up and the top slightly cracked - some of the Frangipane will seep from the bottom of the tartlets, this is ok!
Tartlets are ready when a skewer comes out of the Frangipane clean...ish!
Use a palette knife to take the tartlets off the baking tray and allow to cool on a wire rack.

Enjoy!

Drink This:

A good cup of tea or coffee will make these beauties shine.
Failing that a good Nutty Oloroso Sherry will take them to new heights.