Cocoa and Lavender: Let Me Call You Sweet Tart

A million years ago - or perhaps it was just 30 - I was principal bassist for the Albany Symphony Orchestra. It was my first job - I was fresh out of the conservatory - and life was just filled with possibility. I had my fist apartment (half a small bungalow) and I was ready to be a grown up. The art on my walls would no longer include posters. My furniture would not be a futon. My bed would not have big wedge pillows so that it could double for a sofa. The food I ate would not simply be something that came from a can.

That, of course, meant cooking for myself. I had always cooked with my mother, so I had no fear of the kitchen. On my own, though, I made my share of mistakes - like the time I tried to cook Cornish game hens in the toaster oven for my first Thanksgiving. Disaster. Or when I made my first gnocchi from scratch and turned out like small rubber doorstops. Inedible. (Apologies still go to Susan, my former roommate, for that fiasco! She was kind, though, and kept saying, "But the flavor is really good!")

It was also the time when I began collecting recipes from family, friends and colleagues - inexpensive casseroles from my mother, one for frozen Grand Marnier soufflé from roommate Susan, various cakes from friend Bill, or scalloped scallops from my sister-in-law Lori.

After about a year of playing in the orchestra, a new employee came along - Lois. Lois was an amazing baker. (She didn't eat much 'real' food - but if it had chocolate, watch out!) Probably 10-15 of my favorite dessert recipes come from her recipe box - triple chocolate cake, Viennese chocolate pound cake, Black Jack cake, breakfast cinnamon rolls and more. But the recipe I make most often is hers for chocolate tarts.

This is my no-fail, go-to recipe when I need something to take to a party, or for a light dessert on a buffet. The crust could not be easier and the filling is amazing. And, it is one of the few recipes that is perfect exactly the way Lois taught me to make them. That does not mean that I haven't tinkered with the recipe. I've made several changes from time to time (my variations will be listed below the recipe) but I never replaced the original.

I make these with Nestlé semi-sweet chocolate chips. I have used higher quality chocolate but it just doesn't work as well, producing a chewy, dense filling. I also tried low-fat cream cheese in the crust, but that didn't work at all; it produces a gooey mess.

I use a 24-cup mini muffin tin but once, when on vacation, used a 12-cup regular muffin tin and they worked just fine.

Place flour in the bowl of a food processor. Add butter in 16 pieces and cream cheese in 6 pieces. Turn processor on and let run until dough forms a ball around the blade - about 30 seconds. (Lois mixed the dough by hand, but using the food processor makes this a snap.)

Remove dough from the food processor and divide evenly in half (a scale helps). Roll both halves into a long snake of dough, and divide each into 12 even pieces. Roll each piece into a ball between the palms of your hands, and then flatten a little. You should have 24 small discs. Place disks in a 24-cup mini muffin tin. Chill for 15 minutes.

Remove from the refrigerator and, using a floured tamper (as shown above*) or your thumb and fingers, bring the pastry evenly up the sides of the muffin tin until it just comes over the top of the mold. Chill while making the filling.

Place the milk, vanilla extract and butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir until chocolate is completely melted and mixture is smooth and glossy. Remove from heat and add sugar and egg. Mix quickly so that the egg does not start to cook in the warm chocolate.

When thoroughly blended, remove tart shells from the refrigerator. Fill each about three-quarters full, using a teaspoon. You may have a few spoonfuls of leftover filling.

Bake for 22 minutes or until crust is golden brown and tarts are puffed like small soufflés. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes and then remove to a cooling rack.

Variations: The only change I have made to this recipe is to vary the flavoring in the filling. I have replaced the vanilla with an equal amount of peppermint extract or orange emulsion.