The Puff Pastry:
1 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
8 tablespoons cold sweet butter, divided
2-3 tablespoons water
The Mousse:
1 tablespoon sweet butter, for greasing pans
2 ounces white chocolate
3 tablespoons sweet butter
2 eggs, separated
1/4 cup sugar, divided
1 cup assorted berried, such as blackberries, raspberries and strawberries
2 ounces bittersweet chocolate
4 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar


1. For the puff pastry: Place flour, salt, sugar and 4 tablespoons of the butter in a food processor fitted with a metal chopping blade and pulse until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add cold water, 1 tablespoon at a time, pulsing just until mixture stays together when pressed. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and quickly press it together into a ball.
2. Knead dough gently twice and use a rolling pin to roll rectangle approximately ?-inch thick. Place rectangle so long ends are parallel to you. Cut remaining 4 tablespoons butter into º-inch-thick slices, lengthwise. Place butter slices on middle and bottom thirds of dough and press in lightly with a rolling pin. Bring top third of dough down on top of middle third of dough. Now bring bottom third up over top. Place this rectangle with long ends parallel to you and roll out ?-inch thick. Repeat folding procedure. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 20-30 minutes.
3. Remove dough from refrigerator and roll and fold one more time as described above. Position final rectangle with short ends parallel to you. Fold both ends to meet the middle, Then fold dough in half (it should look like a book). Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour before using.
4. For mousse: Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Butter 4 4-inch springform or tart pans and place on baking sheet. Roll out puff pastry dough º-inch thick and cut out 4 6-inch circles. Press 1 circle into each pan, trimming if necessary, and bake 7-10 minutes. Set aside.
5. Turn oven heat down to 375 degrees F. Bring 2 inches of water to a simmer in saucepan and melt white chocolate in small bowl or top of double boiler placed over water. When just melted, remove from heat and gently stir in butter just until melted. Set aside; keep water at a simmer.
6. Place egg yolks and 1/8 cup of the sugar in a medium bowl and whisk over simmering water just until yolks are warm to the touch. Remove from heat. Using an electric mixer, whip for about 5 minutes; the mixture should be light yellow and fluffy. Turn mixture off and slowly fold in chocolate mixture with a rubber spatula just until blended.
7. In clean bowl, whip egg whites until soft peaks form. Gradually add remaining º cup sugar and whip until stiff peaks form. Fold 1/3 of egg whites into yolk and chocolate mixture with a rubber spatula. Quickly and gently fold in the rest of the egg whites, without over folding. Divide the batter evenly among the puff pastry shells, filling each about half way. Bake on middle rack of oven 15-20 minutes. Remove from oven.
8. To serve: Place 1 tart on each of 4 dessert plates. Divide berries among and over tarts. Place bittersweet chocolate in plastic self-sealing bag and melt in microwave oven. Snip off one bottom corner of bag and squeeze to drizzle chocolate over each tart. Dust with confectioners’ sugar and serve immediately.

Jennifer Spencer, winner of the Master Chef USA 2000 Southeast Regional Cookoff, wowed the judges with her homemade puff pastry.

White Chocolate Mousse
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