Last week on Top Chef, the cheftestants had to upgrade your standard bar snack (think chips, beer nuts, etc.) into an elevated dish. I was torn between making a potato pavé or going with this dessert. Maybe it was because the winner made something with pretzels…it was amazingly crazy with a mustard zabaione!...or maybe because my wife loves pretzels and told me to make the pretzel dish. No one will ever know. But, this is a very satisfying and relatively easy dessert to make. Moreover, it is fun to make and everyone will love you. But, maybe your a bit scared of baking. Trust me, I’ve been in your shoes and will provide a bunch of tips and tricks and for baking and how to make this chocolate tart. The recipe is below and here’s this week’s episode of Top Chef Tuesday! If you like this recipe, and have the extra graham crackers, why don’t you try out these s’mores bars as well?
Chocolate Tart with Graham Cracker Pretzel Crust
¾ cup chopped-up pretzels + more for garnish
¾ cup confectioners’ sugar
½ cup pounded graham crackers (about 4 crackers)
1 stick of butter, softened to room temperature
½ cup AP flour
Egg
1.5 cups heavy cream
10 oz bittersweet chocolate chips
¾ cup semisweet chocolate chips
Flaky sea salt
10” tart pan with removable bottom
Baking spray
Parchment paper, cling wrap, and aluminum foil
Baking weights or dried beans
In an electric mixer, fitted with a paddle, cream the pretzels and sugar on low speed until creamy, a few minutes.
Add in the graham crackers, flour, and egg and continue to mix until combined.
Set out two sheets of slightly overlapping cling wrap and pour the mixture onto the middle. Place another two overlapping sheets on top, then press into a uniform disc, about 6” around.
Place on a baking sheet and into the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes, place the dough (still in between the cling wrap) on a working surface and roll out to a thin 12” circle.
Remove the top layer of cling wrap and spray the tart pan with baking spray. PAM baking spray with flour works extremely well.
Invert the dough over the prepared tart pan and carefully remove the remaining cling wrap.
Using damp fingertips, press the dough into the bottom of the pan ensuring it reaches the edge, then tuck in the dough along the curvatures of the fluted tart pan. Cut away any excess and use it to patch any holes, cracks, or bare spots.
Place the tart pan back onto the baking sheet and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
When the dough has firmed up, place a piece of parchment onto the dough surface and cover with baking weight or dried beans.
Bake in the oven for 30 minutes. Remove the parchment and weights, cover the crust edge with foil, and place back into the oven for an additional 15 minutes.
Cool the tart pan on a rack for about 45 minutes.
Meanwhile, bring the cream to a simmer, and off heat, add in 8 oz of the bittersweet chocolate and all of the semisweet chocolate. Reserve 2 oz of the bittersweet chocolate.
Cover the pot and let it sit for 5 minutes. Then, whisk to combine. Pour the chocolate cream mixture into a bowl and let come to room temperature, about 45 minutes.
Once the baked tart has cooled, melt the remaining bittersweet chocolate in a double boiler and brush the melted chocolate onto the tart shell. Refrigerate it for 10 minutes.
After 10 minutes, pour in the room temperature chocolate cream mixture, filling the tart evenly. Smooth out the surface and tap the pan a few times.
Place the chocolate filled tart in the refrigerator for 4 hours or overnight.
When ready to serve, garnish with the seas salt and more finely chopped pretzel bits.
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