A Beautiful Chocolate Tart.

What better excuse to make a tasty dessert than for dinner guests. This was the second time I ever made a tart and it has to be my favorite chocolate dessert right now. The chocolate is very rich and the crust is a perfect savory compliment. I wish I could tell you that this is an easy recipe...but nothing this good is going to be easy and you will cherish every single delicious bite of your creation. Enjoy creating a dessert that is truly a piece of art. This recipe is sure to impress anyone and you can pull it off. I guess all the running I just did was for this amazing dessert....and SO worth it!

Here we go. I have to give Tyler Florence credit for an amazing recipe. 

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tyler-florence/chocolate-tart-recipe/index.html

Ingredients

Tart Shell Pastry:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cold and cut into small chunks
• 1 large egg, separated
• 2 tablespoons ice water, plus more if needed

Filling:

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup milk
• 10 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature

THE CRUST

Step 1: Mix your flour, sugar and salt and add butter. I like to cut mine--as it mixes easier

Step 2: Using a pastry blender or fork blend the butter into the flour mixture until it looks crumbly

Step 3: Whisk your egg yolk and ice water. Make a well the flour/butter mixture and add your egg mixture. Blend together with your hands until it holds form. You may add more ice water if it is not holding...but only a little bit at a time.

Step 4: Mold your crust into a large disk and wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

 Step 5: Preheat oven to 350 F.  Roll your dough out and place in tart form. Refrigerate for another 15 minutes. You want to make sure you weigh the pastry down. I use aluminum foil and dried beans and it works just fine.  Place in oven (middle rack) and bake for 30 minutes.

Step 6: Remove from oven and remove weights.  Brush with beaten egg white and bake for an additional 8 minutes until the crust starts to get golden (see below)

Congratulations! You have finished the crust. I promise this is the hardest part. 

THE CHOCOLATE

Step 1: Mix your Milk and Cream on medium-high heat until it starts to bubble around the edges. Make sure you keep mixing it. I like to use a whisk. Remove from heat when you see those bubbles.

Step 2: Have you 10 oz. of semi-sweet chocolate ready to mix in the hot milk and cream. I like to use the mini morsels to cut eliminate chopping the chocolate. Mix well until the chocolate is nice and smooth. Add you sugar and 2 beaten eggs until well incorporated. 

  Step 3: Pour your warm delicious chocolate into your cooled tart crust. Bake 325F for 15-20 minutes until the chocolate is set. I check mine after 15 minutes and usually still have another 5 minutes to go. If you see your tart start to crack remove it right away as this is a sign of over baking.

This is how your tart should look like when it is finished baking. You have no idea how hard this was to let it sit for a whole day until our dinner guests arrived! You want to make sure you let it completely cool and sit for a few hours before you remove it from the tart pan. I actually like mine when it is cold.

The last and final step: ENJOY

My favorite is to enjoy this rich dessert with fresh raspberries and a lot of them! 

 I hope you enjoyed this recipe and will try to create something beautiful yourself. I promise you will want to make this again...even though it takes a better part of your day to make.