Walnut ricotta tartelettes

Directions

1. Prepare the pastry: Combine all ingredients to a crumbly pastry (with a fork or your finger tips).
2. Place in refrigerator for at least one hour.
3. Roll out the pastry on parchment paper (it is kind of crumbly) to fit your pan(s). For a large tart, place dough with parchment paper into pan and cut excess pastry. For small tartlets, cut circles from the rolled out dough with the help of a water glass with appropriate diameter.
4. Blind bake the dough (pricked with a fork and/or covered with lentils or other ovenproof weights) for 12-15 min at 200°C. Reduce oven heat to 175°C.
5. For the filling, chop walnuts coarsely.
6. Heat 20 g butter and icing sugar in a small pan, add walnuts and fry at low to medium heat until golden brown while stirring frequently (takes about 10 minutes). Set aside.
7. In a fat free bowl, whisk egg whites (at high speed) with a pinch of salt until stiff, 3- 5 minutes.
8. In another (large) bowl, whisk egg yolks and sugar until pale yellow and foamy.
9. Add softened butter (room temperature) and continue whisking, until mixture is creamy, for about 3-5 minutes.
10. Add ricotta and orange blossom water.
11. Gently incorporate walnuts and egg whites with a spatula.
12. Add filling to the prebaked pastry and bake at 175°C for 20-30 minutes, depending on tart size, or until golden brown. Cool completely before decorating.
13. For decoration, dilute orange jam with 1 tablespoon water, glaze tart or tartlets with the mixture.
14. Coarsely ground the chocolate and sprinkle on the tart/tartlets until the surface is generously covered.
15. Serve cooled.