After watching this tart being made on America's Test Kitchen I knew I would eventually get around to trying it out myself. This is a rich and decadent chocolate dream with bittersweet chocolate in the filling and the glaze.
The almond crust is a crisp counterpart to the creamy rich chocolate filling making this a simple and elegant dessert. This tart takes two day to complete so it is a little time consuming but if you love a really delicious chocolate dessert it's totally worth the effort. Here is how you can make your own.
You can find the entire recipe here. Spray a 9" tart pan with Pam and set aside.
Crust: Beat the yolk and cream together in small bowl. Set aside. In the bowl of a food processor finely grind the almonds and sugar, around 15 to 20 seconds. Add the flour and salt and pulse to combine. Scatter the cold butter pieces over the flour and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal. With the processor running add the egg mixture and process until a dough ball forms. At this point I deviated from the recipe and rolled out the dough between two pieces of plastic wrap until I got a ten inch round. Then I refrigerated the round dough until slightly firm, around 30 minutes.
When the dough was finished chilling I removed one piece of the plastic wrap and carefully worked the dough into the tart pan. I used a 1 cup measure to press the dough evenly and firmly into the bottom of the pan and up the sides. Lastly I rolled my rolling pin over the top of the pan to cut off the excess dough and removed the top layer of plastic wrap. Once dough is in the pan freeze for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. When dough has finished chilling, spray a length of aluminum foil with Pam and press into the bottom and up the sides of the tart. Fill with pie weights or 2 cups of loose change. Bake crust for 25 minutes. Remove pie weights and aluminum foil and continue baking for 8-10 minutes or until dark golden brown. If top of edges are getting too dark cover with aluminum foil strips. Let cool completely before filling.
Filling: Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Beat the two eggs then press them thru a fine sieve. Set aside. Place chocolate in a large heat proof bowl. Set aside. In a small saucepan simmer the cream, espresso powder and salt. Pour over chocolate and let set for 5 minutes then begin to gently whisk the mixture until combined. An this point I added a splash of vanilla extract for a little extra flavor.
Whisk in the butter until incorporated. Whisk in the strained eggs until mixture is smooth and glossy. Pour into cooled tart crust and shake gently to distribute evenly. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until just set. Le cool on wire rack then transfer to fridge, uncovered, to chill overnight.
Glaze: Remove tart from fridge 30 minutes before glazing. In a small sauce pan bring cream and corn syrup to a simmer. Remove from heat , add chocolate and cover. Let stand for 5 minutes then whisk gently until smooth then whisk in the hot water until shiny and pourable. Working quickly, pour glaze onto center of the tart and quickly tilt tart to evenly distribute glaze. Let cool one hour before serving.
Chocolate Curls:
Place 3 ounces of chocolate and 1 Tablespoon of shortening in a microwaveable bowl and cook for 30 second intervals, mixing each time, until melted and smooth.
Pour chocolate on the smooth back of a metal cookie sheet and spread thinly and evenly with a spatula. Place sheet in freezer for 30 seconds to one minute or until you can barely see a fingerprint when you press down on the chocolate.
Remove from freezer and using a sharp edged spatula scrape the chocolate into curls. Place curls on another sheet and freeze until ready to use.
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