I think that pretty much everyone loves pistachios. If I open a bag, I soon find myself in nothing but a sea of shells and guilt (at least they're nuts, they can't be that unhealthy, right?). When I saw this recipe for Milk Chocolate Pistachio Tarts in Martha Stewart Magazine about a year ago, I knew I had to try it. My future sister-in-law is a huge pistachio fan so I surprised it with her one night after dinner and it was an instant hit, requested regularly since then. The original recipe is for one large tart in a 9-inch tart pan, but I find mini tarts so darn cute that I use the same recipe for four 5-inch mini tarts. I did not change any amounts, so you could go either way.

A couple of notes: Martha's recipe called for unsalted pistachios which I was surprised to find are not easy to get your hands on in normal markets. I used salted and then eliminated any additional salt from the recipe. If you use unsalted nuts, add 1/4 teaspoon in both the tart shell and the pistacho paste. Also, the recipe calls for chopped milk chocolate--I found high-quality milk chocolate chips perfectly fine. The first time I made this recipe I used regular Nestle milk chocolate and the filling ended up looking a bit speckled because the chocolate did not fully melt into the hot milk.

Milk Chocolate Pistachio Tartlets

(a Martha Stewart recipe with a few alterations)

For the tart shell:

3/4 cup flour

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/3 of a cup shelled pistachios

1 stick butter, room temperature

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

For the pistachio paste:

1/2 cup shelled pistachios

1/4 sugar

1 teaspoon oil (safflower or canola)

For the chocolate filling:

5 ounces milk chocolate chips

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup whole milk

1 large egg, beaten

Make the tart shells:

Coat your tart pans with vegetable cooking spray. Whisk together dry ingredients, including the pistachios and set aside (*add 1/4 teaspoon salt if you are using unsalted pistachios). Beat butter until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add sugar and beat until pale, about 2 more minutes. Reduce mixer speed and add vanilla, followed by the dry ingredient mixture. Form dough into a ball and wrap in plastic. Set in refrigerator for 15 minutes.

Take the crust from the fridge and divide into four equal pieces (if you are making mini tarts; if not, leave the dough whole). Roll out each piece of dough to about 1/4-inch thick circles and press into tart pans, trimming the edges of excess dough.

Bake tart shells at 325 degrees for about 30 minutes. Once they are out of the oven, they will need about 20-30 minutes to cool completely before you finish constructing the tarts.

Make the pistachio paste and chocolate filling:

In a food processor, chop pistachios and sugar until the mixture begins to clump together (*add 1/4 teaspoon salt if you are using unsalted pistachios). Add the oil and pulse the processor until the mixture become a sandy paste.

Spoon the pistachio paste equally into each mini tart and use a spoon to pat the paste firmly into the shells.

Heat the milk and cream in a saucepan over medium heat until it is almost boiling (there will be little bubbles at the edge of the saucepan). Place the chocolate chips in a mixing bowl (make sure it's heatsafe). When the milk is heated, pour it over the chocolate and let stand for 2 minutes. Thoroughly whisk the chocolate into the milk until no speckles of chocolate remain. Let stand for an additional 10 minutes, and then whisk in the beaten egg.

At this point, remove the tart shells from their pans and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Pour the chocolate filling into the tart shells, over the pistachio paste. Be sure not to overfill the shells or the filling will spill all over when you put them in the oven.

Bake the tarts for 30 minutes in a 300 degree oven until the filling is set. Let the tarts cool completely before serving. Garnish with some more finely chopped pistachios for a beautiful presentation.

Enjoy! (the tarts, and the impressed looks you will get from your guests when you serve these little tarts that you "just whipped up")