Chocolate Tart For Dora

"Life is like  piano with black and white keys. Black keys make the music"

There were lots of words dancing around in my imagination recently. I guess that is what happens to musicians, they hear the sounds in their hear and put it into a song. For me, I will try to put the words together into a tale, a story, a beginning and the end. Don't you just love this feeling of enjoyment while reading a good book, listening to good music, eating an amazing meal and the pure, pure satisfaction right after? Isn't that the best part of life? Isn't it worth taking the risk, making the choices, breathing fully, seeing clearly, feeling intensely, dancing through the darkness....?

If you watched The Tree of Life or To The Wonder you might know what I am talking about.

Last weekend our friends were leaving for a long overdue vacation in Europe and we decided to have a barbecue on our new patio. We dined on lobster, grilled salmon (thank you wonderful neighbours :) ), spinach salad, potato salad, garlic bread and the dessert was quite the spread of tarts- chocolate, raspberry and almond pear.
The Chocolate Tart seemed to have been the favourite and it received quite a few compliments :) Apparently it was better than from quite an experienced baker and I am positive you will find it in a French Patisserie, however this happens to be our Polish-Mexican-Canadian home. It is the first time I made it and it turned out pretty well. 

Chocolate Tart

For the pâte sucrée (makes enough for 12)

1/4 cup heavy cream

2 large egg yolks

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup granulated sugar

A pinch of sea salt

8 ounces unsalted butter, cut into pieces


Filling

 1 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup milk

10 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped

2 tablespoons sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 eggs at room temperature

For the pâte sucrée peparation

1. Whisk the cream and the eggs together in a small bowl and set aside.1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
2.In a bowl or food processor, combine the flour, sugar, butter and salt.  Using your fingers or food processor, incorporate the butter until you have a coarse meal.

3. Gradually add the cream and yolks, and mix until just combined.  Be careful not to overwork the dough.
4. Bring the dough together with your hands to incorporate completely.  Place it in the fridge for at least one hour.

To prepare the tart

2. Position a rack in the center of the oven.
3.Place the chilled pâte sucrée on a floured surface, and sprinkle with more flour.
4. Roll it into a circle larger enough than the tart pan, flouring as needed.
5. Press the dough into the pan, being careful not to stretch it as this will cause it to shrink when baking.
6. Work your way around the edge pinching the excess dough off with your fingers.
7. Chill in the fridge for 1 hour, or the freezer for 10 minutes before baking
8. After taking it out of the fridge place on a cookie sheet so it will be easy to remove from the oven. Line the tart with aluminium foil and dried beans or pie weights. Bake for about 30 to 45 minutes or until you see it browning slightly. Make sure it is golden not brown. Lower the temperature to 325 degrees F.





For the filling

1. Heat the cream and milk over medium heat.
2.Remove from heat and add chocolate and whisk until melted.
3. Add the sugar and salt and whisk until incorporated. 
4. Beat the eggs in a bowl and add them to the chocolate mixture. 
5. Pour the filling into a cooled tart shell and bake at 325 F for 15 to 20 minutes until the filling is set and surface glossy. If you see any crack or bubbles forming remove the tart from the oven immediately.



Cool and serve!




Enjoy!