This past weekend. one of my oldest and only friends Amber got married to her corresponding nerd, giving me the perfect opportunity to fly to Boston and indulge in my only mildly fetishized obsession with tart making. As such, I voyaged to the east coast, drank a bottle of wine that my brother recently procured from a tour of all the wineries in France or something, and three hours later, here was this boozy chocolaty buttery tart that I somehow managed to get to the wedding at a mystery lake 45 minutes away! The wedding was amazing and magical; The bride looked beautiful, the vows made me cry a single tear, they played Smooth by Santana and Rob Thomas (the mark of any successful wedding), the weather was perfect, they had gluten-free cupcakes, etc... Also I ate way too many hot dogs and did not fall into the lake. And my best German friend's girlfriend's mom, who happens to be my best Dutch friend, made unforgettable Caponata that I will definitely feature in an upcoming post.
ANYway, this tart is insanely simple, and got no less than three diabetics drunk, I'm pretty sure. I tried to make it a little more refined with bourbon whipped cream and espresso meringues, but probably failed due to over-buttering, as if that were even possible.
Butter Count: 12 Tbsp
DOUGH:
8 Tbsp unsalted butter
3 Tbsp granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp iodized salt
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
DIRECTIONS:
1. Mix the first four ingredients in a large bowl until well combined. Add the flour and mix until a dough forms.
2. Spray a 10-inch tart pan (bottom removable) with cooking spray. Pour the dough into the tart pan and push it down and toward the edges with a floured measuring cup. Press the dough to an even thickness all across the bottom and up the edges of the tart pan.
3. Cover the tart shell and refrigerate at least 2 hours. While the dough chills, preheat the oven to 350F.
4. Remove the dough from the refridgerator and poke holes all over the bottom of it with a fork. Bake about 20 minutes until golden. Allow to cool completely before adding the filling.
FILLING:
8 oz bittersweet chocolate
4 oz semisweet chocolate
4 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 cup heavy cream
3 Tbsp granulated sugar
1 tsp coffee powder
1/4 tsp iodized salt
1. Roughly chop the chocolate and add it to a heat-proof bowl with the butter.
2. Add the cream, sugar, coffee powder, and salt in a saucepan bring it just to a simmer over medium heat, stirring constantly, about 5 minutes. Pour the mixture over the chocolate and stir until smooth.
NOTE: Do not stir too vigorously. It is important not to incorporate too much air into the mixture.
3. Once the tart shell is cool, pour the ganache into it and smooth it out with a baking spatula. Pop any large bubbles that have formed on the surface with a fork.
4. Refrigerate the tart until set, about 2 hours.
BOURBON WHIPPED CREAM:
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup bourbon
4 Tbsp confectioners sugar
1. Mix all of the ingredients on high speed with a hand mixer until stiff peaks have formed.
2. Transfer the whipped cream to a pastry bag with a largish-diameter round tip.
3. When the tart has cooled completely, pipe the whipped cream in large dollops randomly on the ganache. Place back in the refrigerator, uncovered.
ESPRESSO MERINGUE:
2 large egg whites
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
dash of salt
1 tsp espresso powder
1/2 tsp brewed coffee
1/2 cup caster sugar
NOTE: Do not make the meringues until the tart is ready to serve. They will become sticky and unwieldable the longer they sit out.
1. Preheat the oven to 200F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Add the egg whites and cream of tartar to a bowl. Mix with a hand mixer at high speed until it is very bubbly. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix at high speed until stiff peaks have formed.
3. Transfer the mixture to a pastry bag set with a star tip. Pipe different-sized meringue dollops onto the parchment paper.
4. Bake the meringues for 100 minutes. Turn the oven off and leave the meringues inside to cool 1-3 hours until the outside is hard.
5. Scatter the meringues on the tart and serve cold or at room temperature.