Decadent Chocolate Tart

Don't you love it when people make incoherent yummy grumbly food noises when they're eating something so utterly delicious that they can't stop long enough to tell you how much they love it?   So yeah, that's what's going to happen when you serve this amazingly decadent chocolate ganache tart.  And you won't believe how easy it is to make.  Honestly, the hardest thing you'll have to do is wait for it to chill in the fridge.  

I started by processing chocolate graham crackers into crumbs using my food processor. The crumbs are then mixed with melted butter.

The placed into a 9-inch fluted tart pan with removable bottom.

Press the crumbs evenly in the bottom and up the sides of the tart pan. I like to use a flat-bottomed measuring cup and my fingers to do this.

Place the prepared crust on a half sheet pan and bake for 10 minutes. The sheet pan doesn't have to be lined, but I lined mine with a silpat just in case any butter oozed out. Easy cleanup.

Cool the tart shell on a cooling rack.

Here's a tip I shared on my facebook page - to help the tart shell cool down quickly, place it in front of a fan. Seriously, I consider my tower fan a vital piece of kitchen equipment. I use it all the time to cool tart shells, cookies, cakes, pies... plus it cools me down when the kitchen gets hot. Bonus!

So now that the crust is cooling, it's time to whip up the filling. Start with 12 ounces of really good quality semisweet chocolate. Just remember, the better the chocolate you use, the better your tart will be.

You can use chocolate chips if you must, but remember they contain emulsifiers that help them keep their shape when melted. In other words, no matter how long you stir, the filling won't be as smooth as it would if you had used chocolate that doesn't contain emulsifiers.

This is a great trick - adding a touch of this wonderful espresso powder enhances the chocolate flavor. It's optional, but I really like it. If you use it, add it right to the bowl with the chocolate.

The recipe calls for heavy cream and a little butter. Here I used a 2-cup glass measure to heat it in the microwave just until it started to bubble. Don't walk away or it might boil over and make a mess in your microwave. (been there, done that!)

As soon as the cream and butter bubble, pour them over the chocolate and espresso powder. Allow the mixture to rest for a couple of minutes while the hot cream and butter melt the chocolate, then use a whisk to gently combine the two. The mixture will look really messy at first, but you'll be amazed at how quickly it transforms into the glorious bowl of luscious below.

Oh my..... be still my heart.

Now grab your cooled tart shell and pour that luscious ganache right inside. Smooth the top and pop it in the fridge to chill, uncovered, for at least 4 hours.

Mmmm. Once the filling has cooled completely, you can store the tart in an airtight container. If you put it in a container before that time, condensation will form on the underside of the lid, and the condensation will drip on your tart and destroy its lovely appearance. We don't want that to happen!

When it's time to serve, garnish with fresh fruit.

And maybe a sprinkling of confectioners sugar, but do that just before serving or the sugar will melt and disappear.

Slice small pieces with a hot knife - a little goes a long way. Enjoy!

Items used to make this recipe:

(affiliate links)

• digital scale https://amzn.to/3AHBLNV

• oreos https://amzn.to/3G4vX2g

• high quality chocolate https://amzn.to/2OQxAJ8

• espresso powder https://amzn.to/3u8UwIY

• pure vanilla extract https://amzn.to/3udVX90

• food processor https://amzn.to/3r9bqoQ

• 9-inch tart pan with removable bottom https://amzn.to/3IDN8tc

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Decadent Chocolate Tart

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

Crust:

• 1 1/2 cup chocolate graham cracker crumbs (or oreos, about 27 cookies with the filling removed work perfectly)

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Filling:

• 12 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped

• 1 cup heavy cream

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter

• 1 teaspoon espresso powder (optional)

• 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Garnish:

• 8 ounces fresh berries

• confectioners sugar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350F.

2. Combine chocolate cookie crumbs with melted butter; mix until completely combined.

3. Press crumb mixture into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch tart pan.

4. Place the tart pan on a half sheet pan and bake for 10 minutes: remove from oven and set aside while preparing the filling.

5. Place chopped chocolate in a medium bowl; set aside.

6. In a microwave safe container, heat heavy cream and butter until it just begins to boil.

7. Immediately pour the heavy cream mixture over the chocolate and walk away for a couple of minutes to let the cream melt the chocolate.

8. Add espresso powder and vanilla extract to the cream and chocolate; whisk together gently until fully combined.

9. Pour chocolate mixture into chocolate tart crust; refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.

10. Just before serving, top with fresh berries and sprinkle with confectioners sugar.

Note

• To cut neat slices, dip a knife in hot water and wipe clean between each cut.  

Old Fashioned Peach Cobbler

Friends of ours recently went to South Carolina and returned with a huge gift basket of delicious peaches. They were so ripe and juicy and fragrant, I couldn't wait to start cooking with them.  The first thing that came to mind was this peach cobbler. I had made it a few years ago when my father was visiting.  He loved it so much that he kept going back into the kitchen for a little more, and a little more, and a little more.  So last year when I went to visit him, he asked me to make it again. What can I say, it's good stuff.  And just in case you’re wondering, yes - you can use frozen peaches in a pinch.

To make the best peach cobbler, you need to start with the best peaches you can get your hands on.  Peel them any way you like.  I like to use a serrated vegetable peeler, but if you like to use the boiling water method, feel free. 

When all the skins are off your peaches, remove the pits and slice the peaches into 1/4-inch slices. 

Butter a baking dish well.

Add the sliced peaches and sprinkle with sugar.

Next we'll add some very finely grated lemon zest.  The easiest way to grate lemon zest is to use a microplane.  It does a wonderful job grating all kinds of things - chocolate, nutmeg, garlic, cheese... wonderful, wonderful tool.  

We'll also need some of the juice from the lemon.  For that, I use a citrus squeezer.  Did you know there's a right way and a wrong way to use a citrus squeezer?  

This is the wrong way. I can't tell you how many times I've seen people using it this way, even chefs on TV.

This is the right way. Try both ways and you'll see how much more juice you get this way.

Now that we have that cleared up, time to squeeze some fresh lemon juice to add to the peaches.

There's a little pure almond extract too.... it really bumps up the flavor of the peaches.

Stir, stir, stir.  I love when I can stir right in the baking dish.  One less dirty dish to clean. 

Spread the peaches out evenly and bake for 20 minutes.

While the peaches are in the oven, make the topping.  Whisk together flour, salt, baking powder, and a touch of sugar.

Then add unsalted butter.

Use a pastry blender to incorporate the butter until it's the size of peas. 

Done.

Now we add a beaten egg and some heavy cream.  Mix with a fork until it forms a shaggy mass. 

Shaggy mass achieved.

By now the peaches have baked for 20 minutes so take them out of the oven.  See all those yummy juices they started to release.  Yum!

Spread the shaggy topping evenly over the partially cooked peaches.

Stir together the last of the sugar with some ground cinnamon.

Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar evenly over the top and pop the baking dish back into the oven for 15-20 minutes or until the topping turns a lovely shade of golden brown. 

Mmmmmm.  I wish you could smell it!   Serve it warm with ice cream or cold with fresh homemade whipped cream.  

Items used to make this recipe:

(affiliate links)

• 9x13 casserole dish (glass, ceramic, or stoneware) https://amzn.to/35ytIrs

• ramekins https://amzn.to/3Gc2WBV

• pure almond extract https://amzn.to/35zU4JE

• microplane grater https://amzn.to/32GV9Oz

• serrated peeler https://amzn.to/3u61FK9

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Old Fashioned Peach Cobbler

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

Filling:

• 6 cups sliced ripe peaches (peeled and pits removed)

• 1/3 cup granulated sugar (or more if your peaches aren't very sweet)

• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

• 1/4 teaspoon pure almond extract

Cobbler:

• 1 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour

• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar

• 1 tablespoon baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon fine salt

• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter

• 1 large egg, beaten

• 1/4 cup heavy cream

Sugar Topping:

• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar

• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400F.

2. Butter a 2-quart baking dish and set aside.

3. Stir together sliced peaches, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and pure almond extract in baking dish; bake for 20 minutes while you prepare the topping.

4. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.

5. Use a pastry blender to "cut in" the butter until the butter pieces are the size of peas.

6. Use a fork to mix in the beaten egg and heavy cream until all the dry ingredients form a shaggy mass with no dry clumps of flour visible.

7. When peaches have baked for 20 minutes, remove from oven and spread shaggy flour mixture all over.

8. Combine the last 2 tablespoons of sugar with the ground cinnamon and sprinkle all over the cobbler topping.

9. Return to oven and bake for 15-20 minutes more, or until the topping is golden brown.

Serve with ice cream or whipped cream.