Tarte Au Chocolat
Makes 1 9-inch tart
Serves 8 to 10
Ingredients
- Chocolate Pastry:
- ½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- ½ cup icing sugar, sifted
- 3 large egg yolks
- 1 cup cake & pastry flour
- ¼ cup Dutch Process cocoa powder
- 2 Tbsp cornstarch
- ½ tsp salt
- Filling:
- ½ cup whipping cream
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, cut into pieces
- 8 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped
- ¼ cup sugar
- ½ cup hot, strong coffee
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Method
- For the pastry, beat the butter and icing sugar until smooth, then add the egg yolks all at once and beat until well combined.
- In a separate bowl, sift the flour, cocoa powder, cornstarch and salt. Add this to the butter mixture and stir until evenly combined. Shape the dough into a disc, wrap and chill until ready to use.
- Knead the chocolate pastry dough once or twice on a lightly floured work surface to soften, then roll out the dough to a circle just less than ¼-inch thick. Lift the dough carefully to line a 9-inch removable-bottom fluted tart pan. Press the dough into the shell and trim away any excess. Dock the pastry with a fork. Chill the tart shell for at least 20 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350 °F. Place the chilled tart shell onto a baking tray and bake it for about 18 minutes, until you see that the pastry has an even, dull finish. Allow it to cool while you prepare the filling.
- For the filling, bring the cream and butter up to a simmer and pour this over the chocolate in a large bowl, letting it sit for just a few seconds. Gently stir the mixture with a spatula until the chocolate melts, then whisk in the sugar and the coffee. Lightly beat the eggs in a small dish and add this to the chocolate, along with the vanilla, whisking gently until incorporated. Pour this into the cooled tart shell and bake (still at 350 °F) for 12 minutes.
- Allow the tart to cool to room temperature, then chill for at least 2 hours before serving. The tart can be stored, refrigerated, for up to 2 days.