Chocolate Hazelnut Tart
Among the miraculous properties which chocolate's believers believe chocolate has is that of aphrodisia: being a substance that evokes or enhances carnal desire. Small wonder, then, that along with flowers and naughty lingerie, chocolate is a key element of celebrating Valentine's Day. While Valentine's Day is the fourth-highest volume season for overall candy sales, for chocolatiers, Valentine's Day rules: those red heart-shaped boxes outsell the best efforts of the Halloween goblins and the Easter Bunny.
But it isn't romantic to talk of commerce. Let us leave the study of the aprodisiacal properties of chocolate to the scientific and bedroom communities; we all know that chocolate inspires passion. With the possible exception of the wine aficionado, no other foodie is as devoted to the object of their desire as is the chocoholic. Chocoholics gobble waxy, foil-wrapped chocolates from the dime store and they savor perfectly executed and presented chocolates from the boutique. They put fudge sauce on their chocolate ice cream and eat it with chocolate wafers. They drink chocolate martinis and hot cocoa and mochaccinos and frozen hot chocolate and chocolate egg creams and Yoohoo. They are not intimidated by chocolate-dipped grasshoppers but are perfectly happy with a Hershey bar. And they never turn down dessert. There is always room for a brownie or a few pieces of grandmother's fudge. They are equally pleased by a decadent mountain of Death By Chocolate and the loving hominess of a big slab of devil's food cake.
Chocolate is a lush, sensuous substance, and it is these qualities that inspire dessert chefs and home cooks alike. Here is a recipe for a sexy chocolate tart that packs a lot of flavor and texture into each bite. Whether your Valentine's Day plans include surprising your loved one with a candlelit dinner or plunking down an offering on the buffet table at a black armband party, this tart is simple to make and sinful to eat. And if your plans include either giving or receiving a diamond -- might that be a chocolate diamond?
CHOCOLATE HAZELNUT TART
Purists will want to skin and roast the hazlenuts for this recipe; if so, here's how, and here's a link to the good nut chopper you will also need. However, it is fine to use fresh, chopped hazelnuts; at the grocers', look for them among the bulk foods, often near the dried fruit. Bake this tart in a 9" round or 8" square baking pan, or in one of the heart-shaped tart pans that appear this time of year.
For the shell
1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 stick unsalted butter
1 egg
Ice water
Butter for pan
For the filling
1-1/2 sticks unsalted butter
8 ounces semisweet baking chocolate
2 large eggs
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon coffee or hazlenut liqueur
Approximately 12 ounces chopped hazelnuts
Ground cinnamon
1. Butter the baking pan and set near the surface where you will roll the dough. Heat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Set the ingredients for the shell together near your working area. Put the butter into a large bowl and add the flour and sugar. Use a pastry cutter or a food processor to cut the butter into the flour-sugar mixture until ingredients are well-incorporated; mixture should resemble cornmeal.
3. Hold an egg separator over a cup and break the egg over the separator, catching the yolk in the separator and letting the white fall into the cup. Cover the white and refrigerate for another use. Use a fork to whisk 1 tablespoon ice water into the yolk.
4. Hold the yolk-ice water mixture over the bowl containing the flour-sugar mixture. Drip the yolk-ice water mixture into the flour-sugar mixture, using a scraper to capture all of the yolk-ice water mixture and using the cutter or food processor to combine the mixture until it is well-incorporated and just until it begins to hold together.
5. Lightly flour a clean working surface and transfer dough to the surface. Lightly flour top of dough and, working gently, roll until about 1/4" thick and easily handled.
6. Drape dough onto baking pan and press onto pan, making sure it is rests snugly in corners or curves. Use scissors or a knife to trim any edges that hang over side of pan; set trimmings aside for patching shell if warranted. Set shell in refrigerator while you make filling.
7. Measure approximately 1-1/4 cup chopped hazlenuts into a bowl (it is okay if you cannot get the measurement exact) and toss with a sprinkling of ground cinammon.
8. Place butter and baking chocolate in a saucepan. Place the saucepan in a larger pan and add about 1/2 inch water. Place the saucepan in its water bath on a burner on low heat. Cook, whisking constantly, until mixture is silken, approximately two minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in liqueur.
9. Break eggs into a bowl and whisk until foamy. Whisk in sugar, flour and salt.
10. Dry the bottom of the saucepan containing the chocolate and hold saucepan over the bowl containing the egg mixture. Working slowly but steadily, drip the chocolate into the egg mixture, whisking constantly until well-incorporated. Use a scraper to get all of the chocolate into the filling.
11. Remove the tart shell from the refrigerator and inspect it for tears or holes; patch any such with reserved tart dough from step 6.
12. Carefully pour chocolate filling into shell, using a scraper to ensure that you get all of the filling into the shell.
13. Scatter the tart with the cinnamon-scented hazlenuts. While you should have enough to make a fairly dense topping, it is desireable to have some of the chocolate peeking through.
14. Carefully place tart in hot oven. Bake at 400 degrees for fifteen minutes. After fifteen minutes, reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees and bake for thirty minutes. If tart browns too quickly, cover with a sheet of aluminum foil.
15. Tart is done when filling appears set and topping gives off a toasty aroma. Remove tart from oven and allow to cool before serving.
But it isn't romantic to talk of commerce. Let us leave the study of the aprodisiacal properties of chocolate to the scientific and bedroom communities; we all know that chocolate inspires passion. With the possible exception of the wine aficionado, no other foodie is as devoted to the object of their desire as is the chocoholic. Chocoholics gobble waxy, foil-wrapped chocolates from the dime store and they savor perfectly executed and presented chocolates from the boutique. They put fudge sauce on their chocolate ice cream and eat it with chocolate wafers. They drink chocolate martinis and hot cocoa and mochaccinos and frozen hot chocolate and chocolate egg creams and Yoohoo. They are not intimidated by chocolate-dipped grasshoppers but are perfectly happy with a Hershey bar. And they never turn down dessert. There is always room for a brownie or a few pieces of grandmother's fudge. They are equally pleased by a decadent mountain of Death By Chocolate and the loving hominess of a big slab of devil's food cake.
Chocolate is a lush, sensuous substance, and it is these qualities that inspire dessert chefs and home cooks alike. Here is a recipe for a sexy chocolate tart that packs a lot of flavor and texture into each bite. Whether your Valentine's Day plans include surprising your loved one with a candlelit dinner or plunking down an offering on the buffet table at a black armband party, this tart is simple to make and sinful to eat. And if your plans include either giving or receiving a diamond -- might that be a chocolate diamond?
CHOCOLATE HAZELNUT TART
Purists will want to skin and roast the hazlenuts for this recipe; if so, here's how, and here's a link to the good nut chopper you will also need. However, it is fine to use fresh, chopped hazelnuts; at the grocers', look for them among the bulk foods, often near the dried fruit. Bake this tart in a 9" round or 8" square baking pan, or in one of the heart-shaped tart pans that appear this time of year.
For the shell
1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 stick unsalted butter
1 egg
Ice water
Butter for pan
For the filling
1-1/2 sticks unsalted butter
8 ounces semisweet baking chocolate
2 large eggs
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon coffee or hazlenut liqueur
Approximately 12 ounces chopped hazelnuts
Ground cinnamon
1. Butter the baking pan and set near the surface where you will roll the dough. Heat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Set the ingredients for the shell together near your working area. Put the butter into a large bowl and add the flour and sugar. Use a pastry cutter or a food processor to cut the butter into the flour-sugar mixture until ingredients are well-incorporated; mixture should resemble cornmeal.
3. Hold an egg separator over a cup and break the egg over the separator, catching the yolk in the separator and letting the white fall into the cup. Cover the white and refrigerate for another use. Use a fork to whisk 1 tablespoon ice water into the yolk.
4. Hold the yolk-ice water mixture over the bowl containing the flour-sugar mixture. Drip the yolk-ice water mixture into the flour-sugar mixture, using a scraper to capture all of the yolk-ice water mixture and using the cutter or food processor to combine the mixture until it is well-incorporated and just until it begins to hold together.
5. Lightly flour a clean working surface and transfer dough to the surface. Lightly flour top of dough and, working gently, roll until about 1/4" thick and easily handled.
6. Drape dough onto baking pan and press onto pan, making sure it is rests snugly in corners or curves. Use scissors or a knife to trim any edges that hang over side of pan; set trimmings aside for patching shell if warranted. Set shell in refrigerator while you make filling.
7. Measure approximately 1-1/4 cup chopped hazlenuts into a bowl (it is okay if you cannot get the measurement exact) and toss with a sprinkling of ground cinammon.
8. Place butter and baking chocolate in a saucepan. Place the saucepan in a larger pan and add about 1/2 inch water. Place the saucepan in its water bath on a burner on low heat. Cook, whisking constantly, until mixture is silken, approximately two minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in liqueur.
9. Break eggs into a bowl and whisk until foamy. Whisk in sugar, flour and salt.
10. Dry the bottom of the saucepan containing the chocolate and hold saucepan over the bowl containing the egg mixture. Working slowly but steadily, drip the chocolate into the egg mixture, whisking constantly until well-incorporated. Use a scraper to get all of the chocolate into the filling.
11. Remove the tart shell from the refrigerator and inspect it for tears or holes; patch any such with reserved tart dough from step 6.
12. Carefully pour chocolate filling into shell, using a scraper to ensure that you get all of the filling into the shell.
13. Scatter the tart with the cinnamon-scented hazlenuts. While you should have enough to make a fairly dense topping, it is desireable to have some of the chocolate peeking through.
14. Carefully place tart in hot oven. Bake at 400 degrees for fifteen minutes. After fifteen minutes, reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees and bake for thirty minutes. If tart browns too quickly, cover with a sheet of aluminum foil.
15. Tart is done when filling appears set and topping gives off a toasty aroma. Remove tart from oven and allow to cool before serving.
I've never heard of chocolate diamonds! Now, I know that if a man gives me anything other than a chocolate diamond as an engagement ring, then he's not the man for me.
ReplyDeleteI refer to myself as a chocophile, because there is no way I will eat waxy chocolate! I'm guilty of the rest of it, though.