Chocolate Ganache Tart

This summer when we were hosting friends from out of town I got the idea to make a fruit tart and could. not. let. it. go. In my head it had to be a rectangular tart - something about the presentation of the shape speaks to me. So I scoured the MSP area for a store with one in stock and trekked all the way to Uptown to a fancy kitchen store for one. Turns out round tart pans - and recipes for them - are much more common.

With a new tart pan, tarts became my go-to for the holidays. Thanksgiving featured a couple cranberry tarts that were fantastic and Christmas had this lovely chocolate ganache tart. 

I used this recipe as my base, but found this magic French buttery crust instead of the cookie crust. The crust recipe is my absolute favorite because it really does feel like a trick in how it comes together and yet it's so tasty and easy to work with. Because the recipe is meant for a round tart, there's a bit more chocolate ganache than needed for the tart. The extra goes in the fridge and when cooled I then roll it into balls and turn them into truffles with some cocoa powder. 

Chocolate Ganache Tart

Servings: 12-20+, depending on size of pieces. It's pretty rich, so I cut them small. 

Time: 2 hours, with cooling time

Preheat oven to 410 degrees. 

For the crust:

• 6 T (3 oz) unsalted butter, cut into pieces. I use Organic Valley cultured butter and would recommend a similarly higher-fat butter to help prevent cracking. Though, the original recipe reported success with "American butter." 
• 1 T vegetable oil
• 3 T water
• 1 T sugar
• 1/8 t salt
• 1 rounded cup (5.5 oz) flour

Place the butter into a medium-sized ovenproof bowl (I use a Pyrex mixing bowl), then add the oil, water, sugar and salt. Put the bowl in the oven for about 15 minutes, or until the butter is bubbling and starting to brown just around the edges. Carefully remove the bowl from the oven and place on a pad on the counter. Immediately dump the flour into the bowl and stir it into the butter mixture. Stir with a spatula until the mixture comes together into a ball. The butter mixture may sputter a bit at first. Transfer the dough to the tart pan and spread it a bit with the spatula. Once it's cool enough to handle (usually about 5-10 minutes), pat it into the shell, using your fingers to spread it up the sides of the pan. Prick the dough all over with a fork, then place it back into the oven to bake for about 15 minutes, or until golden brown. Let the shell cool before filling. 

For the chocolate ganache:

• 12 oz quality dark chocolate. I've used both a mixture of dark chocolate bars and Trader Joe's Pound Plus bar and liked both options. Anything other than baker's chocolate will do. 
• 1 c (8.5 oz) heavy whipping cream
• 4 T unsalted butter, cut into pieces, room temperature

Place chopped chocolate and butter into a large microwave safe bowl. In a small saucepan, bring the cream to barely a simmer. Pour over chocolate and cover bowl immediately with plastic wrap. Let stand for 5 minutes, then stir together with a spatula. If not completely smooth, microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring each time, until smooth. 

Toppings:

• caramel sauce (jarred)
• sea salt flakes 
• Alternatively, you can use a salted caramel sauce as I did above when I'd run out of sea salt, but I do prefer the caramel and sea salt separately.

Assembly

Pour the chocolate ganache into the cooled tart. With the rectangular tart pan, there will a bit extra - set it aside and make into truffles if you want! If you use a round one instead, you should have just enough. Set overnight at room temperature or for 1-2 hours in the fridge. Top with caramel sauce and/or sprinkle with sea salt flakes as desired. Serve at room temperature. Store any leftovers in the fridge.

One thing I haven't quite figured out with my rectangular tart pan yet is the transport - if anyone has a great solution let me know! So far, I've been using plastic totes and the classic hold it the entire time on my lap in the car option when I'm the passenger. With the former option, I have to be sure to apply the caramel on arrival or it all shifts in transport.