Halloween isn’t all about the candy! Offer some adult treats on your menu this October with our Black and White Sesame Tarts. These delicious tarts have an exotic flavor and definitely scream Halloween with their black and white filling. Here is our step-by-step walk through! We’ll help you prepare for baking and assembly.

Black and White Sesame Tartlets

Yield: 60 tartlets

Ingredients

For the Puddings:

• 5 teaspoons unflavored powdered gelatin
• 20 ounces white chocolate, chopped
• 1⅔ cup regular tahini
• 20 ounces milk chocolate, chopped
• 1⅔ cup black tahini
• ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
• 6⅔ cups heavy cream
• 5 cups whole milk
• 2½ cup granulated sugar, divided
• 40 large egg yolks

For the Crust:

• 10 large eggs
• 25 large egg yolks
• 5 tablespoons light corn syrup
• 5 cups powdered sugar
• 10 tablespoons whole wheat flour
• 2½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon of ground allspice
• ½ teaspoon of ground cloves
• ½ teaspoon of ground nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon of kosher salt
• 13¾ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for surface
• 55 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces

For the Assembly:

• 25 ounces halvah, crumbled
• Flaky sea salt

Custard Instructions:

To make the custards, start by placing 1¼ cups of cold water in a bowl and evenly sprinkle gelatin over. Let set until the gelatin is softened and has begun to “bloom.” This should take about 10–12 minutes.

In two large bowls, place white chocolate and regular tahini in one, then place milk chocolate and black tahini in another. Add a pinch of salt to each and set side-by-side. In a large heavy-bottomed saucepan bring cream, milk, 1¼ cups granulated sugar, and a big pinch of salt to a simmer, whisking to dissolve sugar. Vigorously whisk yolks and the remaining 1¼ cups of granulated sugar in a third bowl until it’s thick and pale in color.

Remove the cream mixture from the heat and slowly drizzle about 2 cups of the hot cream into the egg mixture, whisking constantly. Now that the eggs have been tempered, add them to the pan with the remaining hot cream whisking vigorously. Set saucepan back over medium heat and cook, whisking until mixture has thickened and the whisk leaves a trail, about 6-7 minutes. Immediately remove from heat and add gelatin mixture; whisk until dissolved.

Strain custard through a fine sieve into a large bowl, then divide the hot mixture between the 2 bowls filled with tahini and chocolate. Allow the custard and chocolate to rest together, letting the chocolate slowly melts for about 5 minutes. Using an immersion blender combine the white chocolate mixture until smooth and incorporated. Repeat with milk chocolate mixture. By doing it in this order there’s no need to wash the blender. Cover each one with plastic wrap, pressing directly onto the surface to prevent a skin from forming and chill puddings until set, approximately 4 hours.

Remove both cooled custards from the fridge, uncover, and whisk vigorously until smooth. Transfer each pudding to a piping bag. Cut off the tips of each to create about a ½ inch-wide opening. Slide both filled bags side-by-side into a third piping bag. Applying slow, even pressure, push black and white custards into the third bag in equal amounts. Slide out filled bags as they empty. Leaving you with a third two-tone bag. Twist ends of the bag with both fillings and secure. Repeat process, emptying original bags into a fourth and even fifth bag as necessary. Chill the bags at least 1 hour to allow everything to firm up.

For the Crust:

Beat eggs, yolks, and corn syrup in a bowl until completely homogeneous, then set it aside. In the bowl of a food processor pulse powdered sugar, whole wheat flour, cinnamon, allspice, cloves, nutmeg, kosher salt, and all-purpose flour to combine. Add chunks of butter and pulse until the largest pieces have become approximately the size of a pea. Stream in the egg mixture with the motor running. Once the dough begins to come together around the blade, it is done. You may need to do this in multiple batches.

Transfer dough to a work surface and knead a couple of times to work in the dry bits. Divide into portions and form each into a ½ inch-thick disk. Wrap in plastic and chill in the refrigerator until firm, around 2 hours.

To Bake:

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Remove one disk from the fridge and allow it to sit at room temperature until slightly softened, about 5 minutes. Roll out between 2 sheets of parchment paper dusted with flour until ⅛-inch thick. If dough becomes difficult to handle, slide onto a baking sheet and chill a few minutes before continuing. Using a cutter, punch out 6 rounds.

Working one at a time, firmly press pastry rounds into muffin cups, working into corners and up the sides. Press out any creases so the pastry is smooth and has an even thickness. Dock the bottoms of the crusts in several places with a fork and freeze until firm, 10–12 minutes.

Blind-bake crusts, rotating halfway through, until golden brown, 15–20 minutes. Let cool 15 minutes in pan, then turn out onto a wire rack and let cool completely. Repeat process with remaining disks of dough.

Scatter halvah across bottoms of crusts. Snip a ½ inch-wide opening from the tip of the bag of custards. Applying even pressure pipe the puddings in a swirl pattern to fill each crust. Continue with the remaining bags until all the crusts have been filled.