9ouncessemi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate,chopped
1ouncevanilla extract or liqueuror liqueur
3eggs, beaten
Instructions
Tart Crust
Preheat oven to 325F
Melt butter.
In a medium sized bowl combine ground flax seed and melted butter.
Place pepitas, rice flour, sugar, cinnamon, cocoa powder and salt in the bowl of a food processor,
Pulse mixture until the pepitas are ground.
Add the ground mixture to the bowl with the butter and flax seeds and toss with a spoon until all the dry ingredients are moistened.
Press crust into six 4.75 inch tartlet pans with removable bottoms.
Place tarts in the freezer for 20 minutes.
Line the tart crusts with foil and fill with dried beans or rice.
Bake 25 minutes.
Filling
While the crusts are baking, combine sugar, cream, sea salt, butter and cinnamon in a medium sized sauce pan.
Heat over medium low heat, stirring occasionally.
When the mixture comes to a simmer, turn off the heat and add chocolate, stirring until it's all melted.
Stir in vanilla extract.
Whisk in eggs, stirring until the filling is smooth.
Once the tart crusts are done blind baking, gently pull out the foil and beans.
Pour filling equally among the tart shells, being careful to leave about a 1/8th inch crust exposed above the filling.
Bake until the custard is set, but still has a slight wobble in the middle, about 20-25 minutes.
Let tarts cool 10-15 minutes and then gently remove from tart pans.
Place tarts in an airtight container, and refrigerate.
Bring to room temperature before serving.
If desired serve with whipped cream, a sprinkle of cinnamon and pumpkin leaves.
Notes
I have found flax seeds incredibly hard to grind up. The best tool I've come across for grinding a small amount of flax seeds (or spices) is an electric blade coffee grinder.
Make sure to not overfill your tart shells. The custard will rise in the oven as it bakes. I had about a 1/4 cup of filling left over. It can be baked in the oven in a small heatproof cup.
To make leaves, chop off the top half of a butternut squash. Peel it and cut large slices, a little thinner than a knife blade. Using mini leaf cookie cutters, cut out leaves. Using a pairing knife, make vein marks on the leaves, not pressing all the way through. Place the leaves on a cookie sheet covered with parchment. Dehydrate in a warm oven, with the convection fan running. If the oven seems too hot, prop open the door a little to vent the heat. Times will vary, but I did mine on the dehydrate setting of my toaster oven for 12 hours.