Tarte Chocolat - Chocolate Tart

Here is a delicious and completely decadent dessert. It is a complete departure from Cuban cuisine, but this is the type of dessert that I love. It is extremely easy to make and you probably have all the ingredients in you kitchen already. Your family and friends will be oohing and aahing when you set this before them. But you don't need to tell them how simple it was to make. That will be our secret. Let them think you spent hours slaving in the kitchen.

I have never been interested in pies, so I never tried the make pastry dough. I saw a very simple recipe for pâte sablée in Clotilde's Chocolate & Zucchini book which I just had to try. You should check out her site http://chocolateandzucchini.com/.

Here is what you need for the pate sable. Flour, sugar, butter, salt, milk, and vanilla (I added the vanilla later.)

My punk is pouring 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour into a mixing bowl.

Add 1/3 cup sugar and 1/4 teaspoon salt. I used fleur de sel. I had it on hand and thought it would be fancy.

Then 7 tablespoons of chilled butter, cut into little squares.

This is what you have now. With your fingertips rub the butter into the dry ingredients. You could also you a pastry blender, but that would not be as much fun. Add 2 tablespoons of milk and 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla and blend it in.

When you are done, it should look like this. It will still be crumbly, but if you squeeze it you should get a little clump of dough.

Butter a pan. I did not have a tart pan, so I used a pie pan.

Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and spread it evenly over the bottom of the pan. Use the palm of your hand and your fingers to form the crust and the rim all around the pan. Cover it with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350º F. Bake the crust for about 25 minutes. It should be golden. Let the crust cool. The crust is delicious enough to eat on its own.

Next you need to make the ganache. I used 1 cup of heavy whipping cream, 8 oz bittersweet chocolate, 2 oz semi-sweet chocolate.

Place the chocolate in a bowl. I used a metal mixing bowl so that it would be easier to melt the chocolate. My daughter was tempted to eat the chocolate at this point.

You will then have a bowl of delicious chocolate. Don't be tempted to take a bite just yet.

I don't have a double boiler, so I just set my metal mixing bowl above a pot of simmering hot water. Bring the cup of heavy cream to a simmer in a pot and then slowly add it to the bowl of chocolate. Whip the chocolate and cream with a whisk until you get a smooth consistency.

Pour the chocolate ganache into the shell.

Smooth out the surface with a spatula. Place the tart in the refrigerator to chill for at least an hour.

I also whipped a cup of heavy whipping cream with 1 teaspoon of vanilla, and a pinch of sugar. I served myself a sliver of the chocolate tart with a dollop of the freshly made whipping cream. My daughter flipped over her slice and at the crust first.

I hope you have a lovely weekend. Give this tart a try. It is simple to make.

PÁTE SABLÉE

(adapted from Clotilde Dusoulier - Chocolate & Zucchini)

Ingredients

1/3 cup sugar

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

7 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, cut into small cubes

1 tablespoon chilled unsalted butter to grease the pie pan

2 tablespoons cold milk

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Preparation

1) Pour the sugar, flour, salt into a mixing bowl.

2) Add the butter and use either a pastry blender or your fingers to combine the butter into the

dry ingredients.

3) Add the vanilla and the milk and combine until blended. The dough will still look crumbly.

4) Grease a pie pan or a tart pan with about a tablespoon of butter.

5) Pour the mixture into the prepared pie pan or a tart pan. Spread the mixture evenly on the bottom of the pan and use the palm of your hands and your fingers to form the crust and rim.

6) Cover the pie shell with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

7) Preheat the oven to 350º F. Bake the crust for about 25 minutes. It should be golden. Let the

crust cool.

CHOCOLATE GANACHE

Ingredients

10 oz chocolate (I used 8 oz bittersweet and 2 oz semi-sweet)

1 cup heavy cream

Preparation

1) Simmer the heavy cream in a pot

2) Place the bowl of chocolate in a double broiler. Slowly add the heavy and use a whisk to combine the chocolate and cream until smooth.

3) Pour the ganache into the pie shell. Smooth the top with a spatula. Refrigerate for about an hour (for the ganache to set).