A Warm Chocolate Tart for Dessert
This past weekend I made my favourite dessert of all time; a seductively simple warm chocolate tart that I first encountered at Joel Robuchon’s restaurant in Paris many years ago. It is a rich and decadent dessert, with a silky-smooth custard-like chocolate filling that truly has no peers.
The first time I tried it, I had travelled to France with the expressed reason to eat at the late chef’s restaurant with my mother. We had gone through his entire multi-course truffle tasting menu, thinking nothing could top what we had just devoured when the waiter appeared at our table pushing a cart laden with pastries.
It was love at first bite. From that very first taste, I was determined to make this tart part of my repertoire. Luckily for me, the recipe was published in Robuchon’s cookbook Simply French co-authored by Patricia Wells.
I have since modified the recipe to fit my personal tastes. Here is the free version of the video recipe with includes how to make the dough and the filling:
Warm Chocolate Tart
Equipment
Ingredients
Sweet Tart Dough
- 1 vanilla bean split in half lengthwise and seeds scraped out, save pod for another use 4 tablespoons soft unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup Confectionary Sugar
- 2 large egg yolks
- 1 cup All-Purpose Flour
- 1 overflowing pinch fine sea salt
Chocolate Filling
- 1/2 cup milk, whole
- 1 cup heavy cream (35%)
- 10 oz bittersweet chocolate
- 2 Large eggs lightly beaten
Instructions
Sweet Tart Dough
- In a food processor fitted with the steel blade, combine the vanilla and butter and process until well mixed. Add sugar, and process until blended. Add the eggs and process until blended. Add flour and salt and process quickly.
- If the dough does not form a ball, press the dough together and cover it with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or, even better, overnight.
- On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the dough to an 11- inch circle about 1/8 inch thick. Wrap the dough around the rolling pin and unwind it over a 9-inch tart pan. Press the dough deep down into the corners, letting 1/4 inch hang over the edges. Crimp the edges tightly, and then let the dough relax for 30 minutes in the fridge.
Chocolate Filling
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Bring milk and cream to a boil, then pour over chocolate. Using a wooden spoon, stir until smooth and all the chocolate is melted. Resist using a whisk because it will make air bubbles that will impair the visual appeal when cooked. Beat both eggs and stir into the filling, reserve.
- Bake tart shell in the oven until very lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Pour chocolate filling in, then continue baking until filling is just set, about 20 minutes. The chocolate will feel slightly firm, almost like a perfect creme.
- Let cool to slightly warmer than room temperature before digging in!
Notes
Desserts for Chocolate Lovers
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2 Comments
How does the flavor and texture compare to the Simply French version. I just made the book version. Thanks.
Hello Jeff, It is essentially the same recipe profile. Enjoy!