rosemary chocolate tart

ok, i know it sounds out there but i promise, this rosemary chocolate tart is yummy!  remember when we made chocolate cherry rosemary ice cream a while back (as in, summer of 2016) and i alluded to a tart where i’d stolen the rosemary + chocolate idea from?  this is that tart! 

i first made this rosemary chocolate tart years ago for a family christmas eve party.  folks liked it and i’d always had it in my mind that i wanted to share it with y’all.  i didn’t quite get around to it last year but now here it is, in all of its dense, rich, chocolately-with-a-rosemary-twist glory.

given that it’s been awhile since the last time i made the tart, i wanted to experiment a little bit to reacquaint myself with the recipe.  i got it into my head that the shortbread crust would be delicious with pine nuts, and i still think it would be, it just turned out to be a super crumbly mess.

there’s a finite and non-large limit to how many times i will test a dessert that would never be mistaken for healthy, so i gave up on the pine nuts (for now) and opted to use a (basically foolproof) shortbread crust recipe from cook’s illustrated instead.  (as i’m sitting here typing this “finalized” recipe, the wheels are turning with a new way to try to get the pine nuts back in there…  perhaps someday we will have rosemary chocolate tart 2.0:  the pine nut edition.)

i also tinkered with the amount of rosemary a bit, and ultimately decided that the original recipe had it right.  (this is a good place to mention that if you don’t like rosemary, you could easily leave it out and have a really delicious, decadent chocolate tart.  in fact, when my husband saw the recipe sitting on the table next to my laptop, he commented, “that tart would be so good without the rosemary!”  never a lover of my “put an herb in it” approach to baking and dessert making, that one…

he did have the idea, which i agree would be delicious, to substitute in mint.  i think either fresh mint leaves OR peppermint (not both) would be delicious, though i don’t have any guidance on quantities, other than a warning that a tiny drop of peppermint extract goes a seriously long way.)

ok, so, back to this rosemary chocolate tart.  it’s delicious.  it keeps well so that you can make it in advance and stash it in the fridge until you’re ready to serve it.  the end?  i think that’s all i have to say about it.

oh, one more thing, not about rosemary chocolate tart:  the calendars have arrived and i shipped all of the orders so far so if you bought a calendar (or 10), it’s on the way!  if you didn’t buy a calendar yet and think it would be nice, either on your kitchen wall or to give as a gift to a loved one, head over to the order page and let me know where to send yours!  i’m excited for them to get out into the wild.

rosemary chocolate tart

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Ingredients

shortbread crust

• 177 g. (1 ¼ cup / 6 ¼ oz.) all-purpose flour
• 50 g. (1/4 cup / 1 ¾ oz.) granulated sugar
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 8 tablespoons (113 g. / 4 oz.) unsalted butter, melted

rosemary chocolate filling

• 340 g. (12 oz.) dark chocolate, finely chopped (chocolate chip sized pieces) (i used trader joe’s 72% cacao pound plus bar)
• 12 fl. oz. (355 ml) evaporated milk
• 2 large egg yolks
• 3 sprigs fresh rosemary (about 1/3 cup)

whipped cream

• 16 fl. oz. (473 ml) heavy whipping cream
• ~1 teaspoon granulated sugar, optional (i kept mine unsweetened)

Instructions

shortbread crust

1. adjust the oven rack to the lower-middle position and preheat the oven to 350° F. have an 8 ¼ – 9” (21 – 23 cm) tart pan with a removable bottom available (see notes for substitutions).
2. in a medium size mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, and salt. add the melted butter and stir with a wooden spoon until the mixture is the consistency of a crumb topping with large and small pieces and there are no pockets of dry flour.
3. crumble the dough over the base of the pan, putting a bit more at the edges to go up the side of the pan. use a small, sturdy dry measuring cup with straight edges and a flat bottom or a small, smooth juice glass with 90° sides to help press the crust into an even layer across the bottom of the pan and then up the sides of the pan. use a fork to prick the dough at 1” (2.5 cm) intervals.
4. bake the crust until light golden brown and firm to touch, 25 – 30 minutes. transfer the pan to a flat, heat safe surface and use the measuring cup/juice glass to press down on the crust to compress it (this makes it easier to cut later). transfer the pan to a wire rack so that the crust can cool (keep the crust in the pan).

rosemary chocolate filling

1. put the chopped chocolate in a large mixing bowl (large enough to whisk the filling in later). in a heavy bottomed, medium saucepan, whisk together the evaporated milk and egg yolks. add the rosemary and stir to submerge the rosemary. heat over medium-low heat, scraping the bottom of the pan with a rubber spatula frequently. cook for 8 – 10 minutes, until the mixture is very hot but not boiling and has thickened slightly.
2. strain the mixture into the bowl with the chocolate; discard the rosemary. whisk the mixture until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth.
3. pour the filling into the crust and refrigerate, uncovered, for 4 hours or until firm.

whipped cream

1. while the tart is chilling, whip the cream in a deep bowl with an electric mixer on high speed. the consensus among my friends who tried this tart was that whipped cream is not optional, but whether you sweeten it is up to you (i didn’t).

serving

1. serve the tart chilled. use a sharp knife, wiping the blade between cuts, to slice the tart. serve each slice with a dollop of whipped cream.

Notes

if you don’t have a tart pan, a springform pan would also work, just extend the crust about 1” (2.5 cm) up the side of the pan, not all the way to the top. if you don’t have any baking pans with a removable bottom, you could try using a parchment sling in a square baking dish. you would need to scale the ingredients to fit your pan and i think there’s a good chance the side crust would suffer, but you could just pat the crust in an even layer across the bottom and call it layer bars (skipping the side crust entirely).

adapted from rosemary-kissed chocolate satin tart from very best baking and millionaire’s shortbread (behind a paywall) in the november and december 2016 issue of cook’s illustrated.

Nutrition Facts

rosemary chocolate tart

Serves:

Amount Per Serving:
Calories		428
% Daily Value*
Total Fat		0
	Saturated Fat	0
	Trans Fat
Cholesterol		0
Sodium		0
Total Carbohydrate		0
	Dietary Fiber	0
	Sugars
Protein

Vitamin A		Vitamin C
Calcium		Iron

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

tasty seasons

Category desserts fall soy free winter

Tags

baking,

chocolate,

christmas,

easy,

feeds a crowd,

make ahead,

new years,

rosemary,

soy free

December 5, 2017

by tasty seasons

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