Chocolate, Chocolate, Expresso Pecan Tart
By
Andy Anderson !
@ThePretentiousChef
1
I made this recipe for our annual Christmas open house last night, and I wish that I had made two, because it didn’t last long.
It’s a three-stage process, but the crust, and pecans can be made two to three days before and kept refrigerated. The final assembly can be accomplished twenty-four hours ahead of time, and then served the big day.
Oh, and since this is such a rich cake, cut the slices small. You can probably get 12 slices out of one tart.
So, let’s get cooking…
It’s a three-stage process, but the crust, and pecans can be made two to three days before and kept refrigerated. The final assembly can be accomplished twenty-four hours ahead of time, and then served the big day.
Oh, and since this is such a rich cake, cut the slices small. You can probably get 12 slices out of one tart.
So, let’s get cooking…
Ingredients
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THE PECANS
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1 mediumegg, white
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1/2 Tbspsugar, granulated variety
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1 Tbspdark brown sugar
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1 tspground cinnamon, i like saigon cinnamon
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1/4 tspsalt, table variety
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1 1/2 cpecan halves
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THE CRUST
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1 cchocolate wafer cookie crumbs (see my recipe on making this from scratch: Ground Chocolate Cookie Wafer Base )
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1/4 csugar, granulated variety
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1 tspground cinnamon, i like saigon cinnamon
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1/8 tspsalt, table variety
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5 Tbspsweet butter, unsalted, melted
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THE FILLING
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1 cheavy cream
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4 ozbittersweet chocolate
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3 ozsemisweet chocolate
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1 tspespresso powder
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4 Tbspsweet butter, unsalted, and cut into four pieces
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2 tsppure vanilla extract
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1 tspground cinnamon, i like saigon cinnamon
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1/4 tspsalt, table variety
How to Make Chocolate, Chocolate, Expresso Pecan Tart
- THE PECANS
- Place a rank in the middle position, and preheat oven to 340°F ().
- In a bowl large enough to hold the pecans, combine all of the ingredients, except the pecans, and whisk until fully incorporated.
- Add the pecans and toss until completely coated, and then spread out in a single layer on the parchment lined baking sheet.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes.
- After cooling, separate the pecans, remove any extra or additional coating, and reserve.
- THE CRUST
- Add the dry ingredients to bowl, and mix with a fork until fully incorporated.
- Add the melted butter, and mix with a fork until all of the crumbs are moistened.
- Using a tart pan, approximately 9 inches in diameter, press the crumb-butter mixture evenly into the bottom of the pan.
- Chefs note: the type of pan here is rather important it needs to be a tart pan that has a removable bottom.
- Place a rack in the middle position, and preheat oven to 350°F ().
- Place the tart pan in the preheated oven and bake for approximately 20 minutes, or until the crust is set.
- Allow the crust to thoroughly cool on a wire rack.
- THE FILLING
- Add the cream to a saucepan and warm up to a light simmer.
- Reduce heat to the lowest possible setting, and then add the chocolate and stir until fully melted.
- At one piece of butter and stir until melted, and then do the same for the other three pieces of butter; one piece at a time.
- Add the vanilla, cinnamon, and salt, and then stir until fully combined.
- Add the mixture to the cooled crust, and place in the refrigerator and allow to cool for 30 minutes. This will partially set the filling.
- Remove from the fridge, and arrange the pecans on top in a nice decorative pattern.
- Chefs tip: I added a bit of decoration by using some white chocolate in a pastry bag and doing a squiggly pattern over the top.
- Return the tart to the refrigerator and allow to completely set for a minimum of four hours. Enjoy…
- Keep the faith, and keep cooking.
