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These “Moldy” Matcha Chocolate Tarts are inspired by my husband Jason and his impeccable taste.
On a trip a few years ago, we stopped by the Vosges chocolate boutique in Las Vegas and bought an assortment of truffles. They were expensive, and we are cheap people, so we decided to savor them and dole them out slowly, rather than scarfing them like we do with most chocolates. Well, we got home, put our precious truffles in a “safe” place, and promptly forgot about them.
A month later, we found the poor neglected truffles—which had been stored at room temperature the entire time, by the way—and Jason, brave Jason, dove right in, chomping down on a delicious hazelnut praline truffle. I asked him how it was, he said, “Pretty good!” and offered me a taste.
As I picked it up, I noticed a green streak on the inside. Breaking it apart, I saw the resplendent mold garden that had been blossoming between the ganache and the chocolate shell. Aaaah! I couldn’t believe he ate half the truffle and didn’t notice the mold! I asked how he could possibly ignore the taste, and he said he thought it was just an unusual ingredient, because Vosges does a lot of crazy flavor combinations. (Mold + chocolate is the next big seller, you heard it here first.) And now you know why I can never trust this man when he says he likes something I make. He enjoys the taste of mold, for heaven’s sake.
If you’re wondering, this is what a month-old truffle without preservatives looks like:
As if that wasn’t a great enough story, a year or so after that, I got an email from someone asking to use the above picture on the cover of his CD. (I’d posted about this incident on my old blog.) His CD was going to be called “Fuzzy Chocolate Logic” and apparently my poor truffle was the best match Google images could give him. I don’t think anything ever came of it, but I was tickled to think that Jason’s totally gross mold-eating experience might be immortalized on a CD cover.
So! Now that I’ve ruined everyone’s appetites forever, let’s talk about dessert!
It’s Halloween time, which means that gross-out food is totally appropriate. And despite what Jason might tell you, moldy food is not actually appetizing…so the only time we can enjoy something that looks so nasty is right now!
I got the idea for these “moldy” tarts when I made Matcha Green Tea Truffles a few months ago. As I was sprinkling the green tea powder on top of the finished candies, it struck me that the green color, while totally beautiful, was also more than a little mold-like, and that it would be fun and easy to use this same powder to make a Halloween recipe. Add a chocolate shell, a few layers of green tea and chocolate ganache, and voila! Moldy tarts are born.
There’s not much to the decorating. All you need is a large paintbrush with soft bristles, your trusty matcha powder, and some powered sugar. I used non-melting powdered sugar, which has the great advantage of not dissolving when it comes into contact with condensation. (It’s available at many cake supply stores, and also on Amazon.) You can use regular powdered sugar, but you’ll want to decorate the tarts right before serving them, because regular sugar does melt into the ganache quite quickly.
Whatever you choose, just dot it on in a random pattern, covering most but not all of the surface, and you’re done! The less planned and intentional, the better. Mold doesn’t care about planning! Mold is reckless like that.
The tarts themselves are wonderfully smooth and creamy, with a fragrant white chocolate-matcha layer covered by a rich semi-sweet chocolate ganache. The chocolate tart dough is crisp and barely sweetened, so the tarts themselves never get cloying. I also love the peek-a-boo aspect of the bright green layer hiding underneath all the chocolate. There you are, about to take a bite of a moldy chocolate tart like any other normal person, and BOO! A bright green center jumps out at you. If that’s not Halloweeny, I don’t know what is.
If you’re reading this after Halloween, or if you’re just not sold on eating food that looks like mold, no worries! You can sprinkle matcha evenly over the top, brush it on with a few bold brush strokes, or place a doily on the tarts and sift the powder on top to create a beautiful lacy design. It doesn’t have to look moldy, so don’t let that stop you if you didn’t go to the Jason LaBau School of Eating Anything And Everything.
Matcha Chocolate Tarts
Ingredients
For the Chocolate Tart Dough:
- 5⅓ oz all-purpose flour, (1¼ cups)
- 1 oz powdered sugar, (1/4 cup)
- ¾ oz unsweetened cocoa powder, (1/4 cup)
- ¼ tsp salt
- 4 oz very cold unsalted butter, cubed
- 1 large egg yolk
For the Tart Filling:
- 1 tbsp matcha green tea powder
- 6 tbsp heavy cream, (+ 1/2 cup), divided use
- 10 oz white chocolate, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp corn syrup, divided use
- 10 oz semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped
- matcha green tea powder, for decorating
- powdered sugar, I recommend non-melting powdered sugar, for decorating
Instructions
To Make the Chocolate Tart Dough:
- Combine the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a food processor, and pulse briefly until everything is well-blended. Add the cold cubed butter and pulse until it is in small pea-sized pieces. Add the egg yolk and pulse in 5-second bursts until the dough starts clumping together.
- Turn it out of the food processor and knead it lightly several times to incorporate any extra flour and cocoa powder. At this point, the dough can be wrapped and refrigerated for several days. If you’re ready to use it now, spray five 3.5-inch removable bottom tart pans with nonstick cooking spray. Press the dough into the bottom and sides of the pans in a thin, even layer.
- Freeze the shells for 30 minutes, and while they’re in the freezer, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Spray the tops of the tart dough with nonstick spray, then press a sheet of foil into the shells and fill the foil with dry beans, rice, or pie weights. Bake the shells for 10-12 minutes, then carefully remove the foil and weights. Bake for an additional 6-8 minutes to fully bake the shells, until puffed, dry, and fragrant. Let the shells cool completely before filling them.
To Make the Tart Filling:
- Sift the matcha powder into a small bowl. Add 3 tbsp of cream to the matcha and whisk together until it forms a smooth, thick paste without lumps.
- Place the chopped white chocolate in a medium bowl and microwave it in 30-second increments, stirring after every 30 seconds, until the white chocolate is melted and smooth. Heat the remaining 3 tbsp cream and 1 tbsp corn syrup in a small saucepan or in the microwave, and when hot, add the hot cream and matcha-cream to the melted chocolate and whisk everything together, until it is smooth and shiny. Divide the matcha white chocolate between the five tart shells, pouring it until it fills the shells halfway. If you have a little extra, set it aside to roll into truffles or eat later.
- Refrigerate the shells until the matcha layer is set, for about an hour. Prepare the chocolate layer: place the chopped semi-sweet chocolate in a medium bowl. Pour the remaining 1/2 cup of cream and 1 tbsp corn syrup into a small saucepan and heat until it comes to a simmer, but do not let it boil completely.
- Pour the hot cream over the chopped chocolate and let it sit for one minute to melt the chocolate. Whisk everything together until the chocolate is smooth and shiny. Pour the chocolate on top of each tart until it comes to the very top, and smooth the top of the tart with a spatula or knife.
- Refrigerate the tarts again to set the chocolate ganache, for about 1 hour. To decorate them with a “moldy” design, use a clean, food-safe paintbrush with soft bristles. Speckle the top with powdered sugar (see note below) and then dot matcha powder on top of it. If you’re not going for a moldy look, you can brush or sprinkle matcha powder on top or cover the tarts with a doily and sift matcha on top for a beautiful lacy design. The powder will slowly be absorbed into the tart, so it’s best to decorate them shortly before serving. For the best taste and texture, allow these tarts to sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes before serving.
Recipe Notes
MEASURING TIPS
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These tarts look GREAT!! I love matcha with chocolate ~ pinned 🙂
Thanks Marla! I’m new-ish to matcha but now I want to put it in everything!
Moldy tarts for the win! What a fun way to enjoy my favorite flavor combo and freak out a couple of people while I do it.
Right?! Good food and freaked-out friends? That’s a win-win right there. 🙂
OMG! I need this. Not even a moldy truffle can quell my desire for this tart, oh no. The gooey chocolate…the rich matcha…mmm. halloween is a good enough excuse I think 🙂
Halloween is now my excuse for EVERYTHING! Thanks June!
HAHAHAH laughing SO HARD that someone wanted to use your moldy truffles as a CD cover image! That is THE BEST thing I have heard in so long! Thank you for the giggles.
And those tarts! They look so tasty and creamy and wonderful!
Right?! It was kind of the best email ever! I did some googling before this blog post, trying to figure out if the CD ever came out…doesn’t look like it. Boo! Thanks Rachael!
That story, I just can’t. Mold is the one thing that I cannot hack, I turn into the worst kind of squealing girl about it. It’s terrible. Chocolate matcha tarts on the other hand? GIMME!
Squealing about mold is legit, it has ruined many a forgotten leftover (and truffle!) for me. Dang mold.
I keep imagining these with a pistachio paste layer or some pistachio nibs on the top. The green is sooo pretty. <3
Yesssss I love pistachio, and think that would be a great addition!
They look very delicious! And I think even me with such limited skills would be able to make it 🙂
Uh, you make awesome stuff all the time, so I don’t know what you’re talking about with “limited skills.” But thank you very much!
Can I have a few of these please? They look so darn cute! I´m so happy to have this chocolate tart dough recipe, I really needed a trustworthy one 🙂 Happy Saturday!! xoxo
Thanks Johlene! This is a great recipe–I love that I can press it into the pans instead of chilling/rolling–who has time for that when there’s mold to decorate??
Stunning dessert! Except for the moldy truffles of course. I’v never tried Matcha before and it looks like a really interesting combination.. The green and black from the chocolate doesn’t look like mold at all!
Well, if you ask Jason, even the moldy truffle was good, so… 😉 Thanks Tiffany!
First things first – these tarts are AWESOME!! Matcha and chocolate is a match made in heaven! Secondly, that’s hilarious that someone wants to use your moldy picture as an album cover. That’s crazy, but pretty cool! 🙂
Thanks! I thought it was hilarious too.
Jason does have impeccable taste indeed…These look fab! I’ve never had the combo of matcha + chocolate before?! I must be living under a rock…
Haha, I’m not sure about impeccable taste, but I am glad he eats anything I make! It gives the ego a good boost. 🙂
Ha! Leave it to a boy to not notice mold on chocolate. These “moldy” matcha tarts, on the other hand, I could eat a lot of. You know I love the matcha/chocolate combo, brain twin!
Right?! Such a dude. Bless his heart. Thanks Natasha!
Too funny! I bet these tarts taste amazing and in the spirit of Halloween, they look a bit like petrie dishes with mold growing on them. Perfect!
Thanks Heather! I’m only bummed I couldn’t get some bunsen burners or test tubes to go along with them. 🙂
Laughing out loud here in the parents’ lounge at my son’s preschool, I’m pretty sure everyone thinks I’m insane. But what other response could there be to your story about 1). the moldy truffle, 2). your husband loving it, and 3). the crazy CD cover twist. You just can’t make this stuff up!!! Back to this luscious dessert, I am a huge fan of matcha. I actually order Venti Green Tea Frappucinos with an extra scoop of matcha at Starbucks… no, not a coffee drinker, but green tea is amazing! And on a chocolate tart, yes. So gorgeous and delicious. Nicely done, my friend!
Thank you Meggan! Just doing my part to make sure the other parents think you’re super sketchy. 🙂
Cracking up at this. How did you fit not one, but TWO great stories into a post? And I’m so sad that the CD cover didn’t happen. Who’d have thunk it? I would have certainly bought Fuzzy Chocolate Logic.
Onto the tarts! A+++. The bottom picture–oh my. That bright green layer looks downright luxe and creamy.
I know! Can you believe that a high-class operation that depending on free internet pictures for cover art never took off? Pretty bummed about that. It could be my jam in the kitchen!
I don’t think I’ve mentioned this to you, but you are KILLING Halloween this year! The idea of moldy tarts is genius. So perfect!
Of course, I give all credit to your husband. Btw, did he get sick or anything? No side effects? Also, did he get flashbacks when he saw these? I know I would have been scarred but I have a feeling he didn’t get phased one bit.
Thanks so much! It seems only appropriate to be “killing” Halloween, right? 😉
And no, he didn’t get sick at all! Stomach of steel, that one. And he wasn’t phased at all, although he is mildly embarrassed that I shared this story about him. I say, if you don’t want the world to know you eat moldy food, then don’t eat moldy food! Good life philosophy, right?
Lol, maybe I’m a hopeless romantic, but to me, these cute little tarts looked more like dark starry skies… like the kitchen version of the ink test, I’d say, because I presume that everyone else saw mold. XD Brave man, your man… mind, as a terrain anthropologist, I’ve encountered (and had) quite a few, well, stranger tastes… 😀
Wow, that is extreme optimism…I see it, though! It would be doubly cool if there was somehow a blue matcha powder to really emphasize the sky aspect.
How much is 10 white chocolate in oz ? Thanks !! The Pie looks so beautiful.
Sorry about that! It’s 10 oz white chocolate–I’ve fixed the recipe now. 🙂 Thanks for the head’s up!