Perfectly Simple Dark Chocolate Tart
Adapted from Luscious Chocolate Desserts by Lori Longbotham (Chronicle Books)
Parisian in spirit, this elegant tart is best served with a tiny dollop of crème fraîche on the top or side of each wedge.
Perfectly Simple Dark Chocolate Tart
(Serves 12)
Crust
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
1/4 cup toasted walnuts, cooled
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
Filling
14 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Cocoa powder for dusting
1. Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly butter an 11-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom.
2. To make the crust: Process the sugar and walnuts in a food processor until the walnuts are finely ground. Add the flour, cocoa, and salt and pulse just until blended. Add the butter and pulse just until the mixture begins to come together when a small amount is pressed between your fingers; do not overprocess—the mixture should not form a ball. Press the dough evenly into the bottom and up the sides of the tart pan. Prick the dough all over with a fork.
3. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, until the crust begins to pull away from the sides of the pan. Let cool on a wire rack while you make the filling.
4. To make the filling: Melt the chocolate with the butter in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of about 1 1/2 inches of nearly simmering water, whisking until smooth. Remove the bowl from the heat and whisk in the eggs and sugar until well blended. Whisk in the vanilla. Transfer the filling to the warm crust.
5. Bake for about 12 minutes, until the filling is set around the edges but still slightly jiggly in the center; the top of the tart will look a little blistered, and that’s okay. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely, at least 1 1/2 hours.
6. To serve, remove the pan rim. Lightly dust the tart with cocoa powder and serve cut into wedges.
Harken, all ye who love food! On 3 March from 9:00am until 5:00pm, the Foodnetwork and Diner’s, Dive’s and Drive-In’s with Guy Fiere will be at the Westside Drive-In, 20th and State Streets for a filming. Want some great food and be on TV? Chef Lou saw me at home and relayed this info to me. He also said that the Westside Drive-In was the Number 1 Requested Restaurant in the state of Idaho for this program. I am happy to say that I was one of those people who contacted the Foodnetwork for this purpose. They wanted to come last November, but Chef Lou Aaron told them that they did not want to come to Boise in November. Hope to see some of you there. If you have time, you may want to walk down the alley – east on Madison Ave or Tin Pan Alley – and say Hi, if we are not there! You can find a review of Westside Drive-In that Robin and I made at Restaurant Review. You can also look at their Web Site.
Boise Foodie Guild 