Chocolate Week at Spiral Style: Chocolate Cream Tart

Chocolate Cream Pie

This is the Dorrie Greenspan version with a shortbread crust and velvety smooth chocolate cream filling.  Don't worry, this is easy and pretty quick.  No rolling pin needed for the shortbread crust... this is just pressed into the pan with your fingers.  The filling is made on the stove top, similar to making pudding, and when cool, spooned into the baked shell.  Both shell and filling can be made in advance and assembled later.  Of course you could save a step and use a purchased pie shell.  Decoration is up to you.  Whipped cream, berries, chocolate curls?  This isn't too sweet or too rich so slice a nice big wedge and enjoy!

Chocolate Cream Tart

2 cups whole milk

4 large egg yolks

6 tablespoons sugar

3 tablespoons corstarch

1/4 teaspoon salt

7 oz bittersweet chocolate, melted

1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter cut into pieces, room temp

1 9 inch baked shortbread shell * recipe follows

Whipped cream and decorations of your choice

Filling:

Bring milk to a boil.

Meanwhile, in a large heavy-bottomed saucepan, whisk the yolks together with the sugar, cornstarch, and salt until blended and thick.  While whisking, slowly add about 1/4 cup of the hot milk to temper, or warm-up the eggs without "scrambling" them.  Then keep whisking and add the rest of the milk.  Place the large saucepan on the stove over medium heat and continue whisking and bring the mixture to a low boil.  Continue whisking 1-2 minutes while mixture thickens then remove from heat.  

Whisk in melted chocolate and then the bits of butter.  Allow to cool, giving the mixture a whisk every few minutes to prevent a skin from forming on the top.  

*You can make this filling up to 3 days before assembling tart.

Sweet Tart Dough (Shortbread crust or in French - pate' sable'e)*Special equipment - fluted tart pan with removable bottom, food processor 

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 stick plus 1 tablespoon very cold butter (9 tablespoons total)

1 large egg yolk

Put flour, sugar and salt in food processor and pulse a couple of times to combine.  Scatter the pieces of butter over the dry ingredients and pulse until the butter is coarsely cut in. (will look like oatmeal flakes and some small peas)  Stir the yolk just to break it up and add it a little at  a time, pulsing after each addition.  When the egg is in, process in long pulses-about 10 seconds each-until the dough forms clumps and curds.  Just before you reach this stage, the sound of the machine working the dough will change.  Turn the dough out onto a work surface at this point and very lightly and sparingly, knead the dough just to incorporate any dry ingredient that might have escaped mixing.  

Butter a 9 inch fluted tart pan with removable bottom.  Press the dough evenly over the bottom and up the sides.  Freeze the crust about 1/2 hour.  Before baking, place a piece of buttered foil, butter side down on top of unbaked shell and then bake 30 minutes at 375 degrees F for 25 minutes.  Remove foil and then bake an additional 8 minutes.  Allow shell to cool.  

When shell is cool, spoon in cooled filling.  Decorate with whipped cream and anything you'd like, chocolate curls, dusting of cocoa or berries for a few ideas.  

           happy valentine's day