Chocolate Glazed Chocolate Tart

Have you been lying awake at night wondering what to make for Valentine's dessert?  Put your ambien away and go buy some chocolate.  Your sleep problems are solved.

Chocolate Glazed Chocolate Tart

adapted from Epicurious

Crust:

10 chocolate graham crackers (NOT chocolate-covered), finely ground (about 1 1/2 cups)

6 tablespoons butter, melted

1/4 cup sugar

Filling:

1 1/4 cups heavy cream

11 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped

2 large eggs, room temperature

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon salt

Glaze:

4 tablespoons heavy cream

3 1/2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

2 teaspoons light corn syrup

2 tablespoons warm water

a pinch of fleur de sel (optional, kind of)

Garnish (optional):

raspberry or strawberry sauce

fresh raspberries or strawberries

whipped cream

Equipment:

11-inch round fluted tart pan, about one inch deep

Make crust:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Stir together ground crackers, butter and sugar and press evenly onto bottom and 3/4 up side of tart pan. Bake until firm, about 10 minutes.  Cool on a rack at least 15 minutes.

Make filling:

Place chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl and set aside. Bring cream to a gentle boil, either in the microwave or on the stove top.  Pour hot cream over chocolate and let stand for about 5 minutes.  Gently stir until smooth.  Whisk together eggs, vanilla, and salt in another bowl, then stir into melted chocolate.  Pour filling into cooled crust and bake until filling is starting to set about 3 inches from the edge, around 15 minutes give or take a few.  It's very important to make sure the center is still wobbly.  As the tart cools the center will continue to set.  Remove from oven and cool completely in the pan on a cooling rack, about an hour.

Make Glaze:

Bring cream to a gentle boil, either in the microwave or on the stove top. Pour over finely chopped chocolate and stir until smooth.  Stir in corn syrup and then the warm water.  Working quickly, pour the warm glaze onto the center of the tart, then tilt and rotate the tart so the glaze coats the top evenly.  Sprinkle glaze with a bit of fleur de sel, if desired. Let stand until glaze is set, about an hour before serving.  Serve with berries, sauce, and whipped cream if desired.

Notes on the recipe:

Make sure you use a chocolate you like eating plain.  This is all about chocolate, so I picked a chocolate bar I love - Ghirardelli Intense Dark Evening Dream 60% Cacao.  This particular bar is dark and very smooth, but not too dark.  I've never used chocolate chips so I can't comment on them, but I'm skeptical.  I'm afraid the texture would be a bit grainy.

I scaled this recipe up to fit my 11 inch Wilton tart pan. The original recipe is sized for a 9-inch round fluted tart pan.  Refer to the link on epicurious if you want the smaller tart, but you might want to double the glaze because their proportion is too skimpy and difficult to spread over the entire surface.

This is best served, IMHO, at room temperature because it retains that melt-in-your-mouth texture that is AMAZING.  I guess Scott prefers to chew his chocolate because he likes it better served cold.  He's wrong. 

The tart is best the day it is made, but nobody complains on day 2, or even day 3.  You can store it in the fridge and bring it to room temperature before serving. The crust won't be as firm.