Monday, February 9, 2009

Chocolate Tarte

Just in time for Valentine's Day, here's a rich tarte filled with chocolate ganache. (from The Art of Simple Food by Alice Waters) I used a 70% cocoa dark chocolate, which is probably the darkest you should use. Something between 60%-70% is optimal, I think.

Sweet Tart Dough:
Beat together until creamy:
8 tablespoons (113g) butter
1/3 cup (75g) sugar
Add and mix until completely combined:
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 egg yolk

Add
1 1/4 cups (140g) all-purpose flour
Mix well, stirring and folding, until there are no dry patches. Chill for at least 4 hours or overnight until firm.

Roll out tart dough into a 12-inch (30-cm) circle. Transfer to a tart pan (or several small tartlet pans if you have them) and cut off the excess dough. Lightly prick the dough with a fork. Leave in the freezer for at least 10 minutes. Prebake the tart shell in a 350°F (175°C) oven for 15 minutes, or until it's an even light golden brown. Check halfway through baking and pat down any bubbles that may have formed. Let cool and then unmold.
For the ganache, put into a medium heat-proof bowl:
6 ounces (180g) bittersweet chocolate, chopped (the finer it's chopped, the smoother the ganache will be)
Heat until just boiling:
1 cup (250ml) cream
Pour over the chocolate and let sit for 30 seconds. Stir until the chocolate is melted (this takes quite a while). Pour into the tart shell while it is still quite warm and liquid, very gently tapping and jiggling the pastry shells to even out the filling. Let sit at room temperature for at least an hour to set.

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