I wanted to make a very special dessert for my husband's birthday meal. I found a recipe for a chocolate tart in the Tyler Florence cookbook "Eat this Book". My husband loves rich chocolate so I knew this would make him happy. See's Candy sent me some goodies in the mail including Mint Krispys. Since my husband loves chocolate and mint together I thought this would be a terrific topping for the tart. It was very easy to make including the pastry dough. A big thank you to my wonderful neighbor Cheryl, who let me borrow her tart pan. The pastry was flaky and the tart was extremely rich. The mint krispy pieces on top gave a nice strong mint flavor and a wonderful crunchy texture. The tart received two thumbs up from all the kids and the adults loved it too, especially the birthday boy. A big thanks to Keegan at See's for the terrific candy - make sure to check out all of their Easter goodies on sale now.Pastry Dough:
(recipe by Tyler Florence, "Eat this Book")
- 2 cups of flour, plus more for rolling
- 3 tbsp white sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) cold, unsalted butter, cut into small chunks
- 1 large egg yolk
- 2 tbsp ice water, plus more if needed
- 1 egg white, lightly beaten
Combine the flour, sugar, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Add the butter and mix with a pastry blender or your fingers until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add the egg yolk and the ice water then work that in with your hands. You want there to be just enough moisture to bind the dough so that it holds together without being too wet or sticky, so check the consistency: squeeze a small amount of the dough together between your thumb and forefingers. If it's still crumbly, add a little more ice water, 1 teaspoon at a time. When you get it to the right consistency, shape the dough into a disk and wrap it in plastic. Put in the refrigerator and chill for at least 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Roll out the chilled dough on a lightly floured surface to a 12-inch circle, about 1/4 inch thick. Carefully roll the dough up onto the pin and lay it inside a 9 inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Gently press the dough into the pan; it is important to fit the dough evenly into every nook and cranny of the pan, especially the scalloped edges. Shave off the excess dough with a knife. Put the tart shell on a sturdy baking sheet so it will be easy to move in and out of the oven. Line the shell with tin foil and add pie weights or dried beans to keep the sides of the tart from buckling. Put that in the oven and bake for 30 minutes. Take the tart out of the oven and remove the foil along with the beans or weights. Brush the pastry all over with the egg white. Return to the oven and continue to bake until the shell is cooked through and a light golden color, but not browned, about 8 minutes. The tart will be cooked again with the filling; you don't want it to burn on the second bake. Set aside to cool while you make the filling. Turn the oven down to 325 degrees.
Chocolate Tart Filling:
- 1 cup of heavy cream
- 1/2 cup of milk (I used 2%)
- 8 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped
- 1/4 cup of white sugar
- 1/4 tsp of salt
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
Combine the heavy cream and milk in a saucepan over medium-low heat until the mixture just simmers slightly around the edges. Take the pan off the heat, add the chopped chocolate, and stir until ti's good and smooth. Add the sugar and salt and whisk until well incorporated. Let sit for 5 minutes to cool slightly. Then beat the eggs in a small bowl until blended. Stir them into the cooled (if it's hot it will cook the eggs and ruin the filling) chocolate mixture and whisk until it's completely blended. Pour the filling into the cooled tart shell and bake at 325 degrees for 15-20 minutes, until the filling is set and the surface is glossy. If you see any bubbles or cracks forming on the surface, take the tart out right away - that means it is beginning to overcook.
I used a pestle and mortar to crumble the mint krispys. Once the tart has cooled and you are ready to serve, slice into pieces and sprinkle the mint krispy crumbles on top. Serve and enjoy.
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