This chocolate tart is very easy to make, both in its “normal” and gluten-free versions. The absence of gluten will not add complexity to the process, as you do not need to roll the dough. The dough is stuck on to the pan bit by bit, which makes it an extremely easy process.
The chocolate tart can be made up to 3 days in advance, so it is great for dinner/lunch parties because you will just have to slice it on the day. I served it several times in 2019 during the holidays period, where usually we have many lunch and dinner parties. We served it also on the actual Christmas dinner, when we had 6 relatives over to visit us in London and spend the holidays with us. I have also brought it over to people when I was invited and was asked to bring dessert. As a coeliac, it is great to offer to bring dessert and be able to deliver something I can eat and everybody can love (with or without gluten!). The chocolate-based filling is also a crowd pleaser.
The dough recipe yields three doughs for a 9-inch/23cm tarte pan , so you can bake one and freeze the other two doughs for future use. This also means that you can make three or more of them in one take, freeze them, and use them as you go through the holidays with very little effort and with the filling you like most for the occasion.
The dough recipe is by Thomas Keller, who is a fantastic and inspiring chef (holding 7 Michelin stars across 3 iconic restaurants, and first American chef to be awarded three stars Michelin on two restaurants at the same time).
What to look for in the dough
The only thing to be careful of, when making the dough in a food processor, is not to over-blend the pine nuts. Pine nuts, like any other nut, will turn into butter if over-blended. Extra care is needed if you have a particularly powerful food processor of blender. A food processor is the best choice, as you are trying to get a “pine nut flour”, but a powerful blender will do the job.
If the dough is too liquid when you incorporate butter and egg, add a bit more of flour (one spoon at a time). You will see how quick it comes together.
When you build your crust by sticking the dough to the tarte pie mould, try to get a fairly even thickness and make sure to build strong corners (make that part a bit thicker if needed) where the base and the sides join together.
What to look for when making the filling
Nothing much to worry about, really. Just avoid boiling the cream and milk when you warm it up. I strongly suggest using good quality baking chocolate, you tarte will be as good as the ingredients you put in it. a favourite of mine is Guittard chocolate, which you can buy at the links below (please notice that as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases if you buy after clicking on the links below).
Feel free to mix and match chocolate with different level of darkness. If you want more of a sweet version, go for Semisweet chocolate. I prefer to go for extra dark chocolate and balance it out with some umami and saltiness from miso paste. A bit of a “big boys” version, but younger boys and girls will love it too. It is still chocolate!
By the way, if you have reservations about the usage of miso paste in dessert, give it a try! It is just a fantastic ingredient to use, it adds umami and balances out the sweetness and bitterness of chocolate wonderfully.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Chocolate Tarte with Pine Nut Crust (with gluten-free option)
Crowd pleasing chocolate tarte with pine nut crust that can be made well in advance and it is easy to make gluten-free.
Ingredients
- For the pie crust (it yields 3 doughs for 9inch tarte pan)
- 280gr raw pine nuts
- 360gr all-purpose flour (or gluten-free all-purpose flour)
- 70gr granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 225gr unsalted butter, at room temperature
- For the chocolate filling
- 200gr dark chocolate
- 160gr single cream (or whipping cream)
- 80ml milk
- 2 small eggs
- 30gr sugar
- 5gr vanilla paste (it can be replaced by vanilla extract)
- 1 tsp miso paste (it can be replaced by a pinch of salt)
- Toppings
- Either raw berries or candied orange zest
Directions
- Step 1 PIE CRUST: Pre-heat oven to 175 C / 350 F (for fan oven: 160 C / 320 F).
- Step 2 Place the pine nuts in a food processor and blend them until halfway processed. There should not be any whole pine nuts, but do not over-process them or they will turn into butter and affect the texture of the dough. Add the sugar and flour and process/blend again until the flour mixture is homogenous.
- Step 3 Drop the flour mixture on the counter and form a well. Add the egg and the soft butter in the middle of the well and start incorporating with your hands. It will be dry at first and then get to a soft dough texture. If too liquid, add some more flour, one spoon at a time. After mixing it a couple of minutes, you should be able to knead the dough with the heel of your hand.
- Step 4 Once homogenous, form a loaf and divide the dough into three equal parts. Lightly press each part into discs of dough about 1cm to 2cm thick. Wrap each disc with cling film (or put it in a freezing bag). Let the disc you are going to use rest in the refrigerator for 10min/15min. You can freeze the other two discs and use them in the future.
- Step 5 Move the rested dough to the middle of a fluted 9-inch tart tin (no need to butter the tin/mould). Remove small pieces from the dough and press them against the sides of the pan, as if “building” the sides of the tart. After you are done with the sides, stick pieces of the dough on the base of the pan, until you get an even bottom for the tart. Corners need to be sealed well.
- Step 6 Finally, use a glass to press against the corners and on the bottom of the tart crust, so to even it out and smooth it a little bit more. With your fingers, remove the excess dough above the rims of the pan to make it look even on the sides. Bake the tart crust for 17-22min, until golden brown. Let cool before filling.
- Step 7 CHOCOLATE CREAM FILLING: Pre-heat oven to 160 C / 320 F (for fan oven: 150 C / 300 F). Add milk and cream to a saucepan and put it on the hob on medium heat. Let it come to a very gentle simmer, but do not let it boil. As soon as you see small bubbles, you are ready to go to the next step.
- Step 8 Turn off the fire and remove the pan from the hob. Stir in the miso and whisk it so it dissolves. If you want to be more refined, you can put the miso in a small colander, lower it in the pan and dissolve the miso mixing it with a spoon (in this way the miso taste will go in, but chunky pieces will stay on the colander).
- Step 9 Add the chocolate and whisk until it melts and it makes a homogeneous and dark mixture. Add the sugar and the vanilla paste and whisk again to incorporate. Add the eggs, one by one, incorporating them with the whisk.
- Step 10 Once the mixture is homogenous (this really takes less than a minute after each ingredient goes in), pour it on the cooled tart crust. Bake the crust for 20 minutes. When done, the filling will be still a tiny bit jiggling in the middle when you lightly shake the pan, but overall set otherwise. Let cool and refrigerate for at least 2h before serving. It can be made up to 3 days in advance of serving (keep it refrigerated and covered if not serving directly).
- Step 11 TOPPINGS: As I have always made it for the December holidays season, I like to serve it with some organic orange zest on top, which I macerate overnight with a few teaspoons of sugar. However, feel free to use candied orange zest/peel (you can make your own, but it takes a bit longer than an overnight maceration) or to use fresh berries instead.
Recent Comments