Chocolate Custard Tart With Sicilian Pistachios Recipes

PISTACHIO, CHERRY AND CHOCOLATE TART

Steps:

• For the crust: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter the bottom and sides of a 9-inch springform pan. Combine the biscotti, butter and sugar in a food processor. Blend until the mixture forms moist crumbs that stick together when pressed. Firmly press the crumbs into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake until golden and feels firm to the touch, about 15 minutes. Cool to room temperature, about 20 minutes. Spread the cherry preserves over the cooled crust leaving a 1/2 to 1-inch border.
• For the filling: Place the chocolate chips in a medium bowl. Heat the cream in a medium saucepan over medium heat to just below a boil. Remove the pan from the heat and pour the cream over the chocolate chips. Stir until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth. Add the dried cherries and 1/2 cup of the pistachios. Pour the chocolate filling over the cherry preserves and sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup pistachios on top. Refrigerate for at least 5 hours or preferably overnight.
• Loosen the tart from the sides of the pan by running a thin metal spatula around the edge. Unmold the tart and transfer to a serving plate. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt flakes, if using. Cut into wedges and serve.

CHOCOLATE CUSTARD TART WITH SICILIAN PISTACHIOS

Steps:

• Dough:In a bowl,mix together 1c. plus 2 tbs.flour and salt. In food processor, pulse remaining 1tbs. flour and nuts until finely ground; combine nut mixture and flour. In bowl of electric mixer,combine butter and sugar. Mix about 4 min. Add whole egg, then egg yolk, mix after each. Add flour in 2 additions. Turn dough onto sheet of plastic wrap, shape into disc. Refrigerate for 1 hour, or overnight. For the tart: Heat oven to 350º. Roll dough between 2 pieces of plastic wrap to 11 in. round,discard plastic. Fit dough into a 9-inch tart pan. Press dough into edges of pan, trim excess along top edge. With a fork, prick bottom of dough all over. Chill in freezer for 10 min. Line tart shell with foil, leave a 1-inch overhang; fill with pie weights. Put tart pan on a baking sheet. Bake for 15 min, remove weights and foil, rotate pan. Continue baking until crust is fragrant and dry to the touch, 15 to 20 min. more. Cool tart shell completely on wire rack. Reduce oven temp. to 275º. Combine both chocolates in a med. bowl. Put 1 1/2 tbs. toasted nuts in a small bowl; set aside. Combine remaining nuts, cream, milk and sugar in a small saucepan; bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve sugar. Remove from heat let stand for 20 min. Strain milk through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, transfer milk mixture back to saucepan and bring to a boil. Pour about one-third of the hot milk over the chocolate and gently stir until chocolate is melted. Add remaining hot milk and gently stir to combine. In large bowl, whisk eggs. Pour about 1/3 of the chocolate mixture over eggs and gently stir to combine, then pour egg mixture over chocolate mixture, add salt and gently stir until smooth. Fill cooled crust with chocolate custard; put tart pan on a baking sheet. Bake, rotate halfway through, until edges of custard are set and center is slightly loose, about 30 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack,cool completely, sprinkle with reserved pistachios. Serve at room temperature.

CHOCOLATE-PISTACHIO FUDGE TART

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9-inch springform pan with nonstick cooking spray.
• For the crust: Place the pistachios, sugar and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse to roughly chop. Add the graham crackers and pulse until finely chopped. Add the melted butter and pulse until the mixture has the consistency of wet sand. Press the mixture evenly over the bottom of the springform pan. Bake until golden brown around the edges, about 12 minutes. Cool to room temperature.
• For the filling: Place the chopped chocolate in a medium bowl. In a small saucepan over medium heat, heat the cream, vanilla and salt until just beginning to simmer around the edges. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate, let sit for 2 minutes, and then whisk until smooth and shiny. Pour the chocolate filling over the crust and sprinkle with the chopped apricots. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or until ready to serve.
• Serve with whipped cream if desired.

MILK CHOCOLATE-PISTACHIO TART

Steps:

• Coat a 9-inch fluted round tart pan with a removable bottom with cooking spray. Make the crust: Whisk together flour, cocoa powder, chopped pistachios, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Beat butter on medium speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add sugar, and beat until pale, about 2 minutes. Reduce speed to low, and add vanilla, then flour mixture; beat until just combined and dough holds together when pressed between 2 fingers. Press dough into a disk, and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate for 15 minutes.
• Roll out dough to an 11-inch round, 1/4 inch thick on a lightly floured surface. Press dough into bottom and up sides of tart pan. Trim excess dough flush with edges of pan using a knife. Refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour or overnight. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 325 degrees.
• Bake until firm, about 30 minutes. Let cool completely; reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees.
• Meanwhile, make the pistachio paste: Pulse pistachios, sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a food processor until mixture begins to clump together. Add oil, and pulse until smooth and pastelike. Spread evenly into bottom of cooled tart shell, pressing firmly with the bottom of a measuring cup until flat and smooth.
• Make the filling: Place chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Heat cream and milk in a saucepan over medium heat until almost boiling; pour over chocolate. Let stand for 2 minutes. Slowly whisk until smooth. Let cool for 10 minutes. Stir in egg until combined. Place tart shell on a baking sheet, and pour in filling. Bake until just set, 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool. Garnish with finely chopped pistachios.

DOUBLE CHOCOLATE & CARAMEL TART, FROSTED PISTACHIOS & RUM CREAM

Steps:

• To make the pastry, sift the flour, icing sugar and cocoa powder together in a bowl. Add the butter and rub together with your fingers until it matches the consistency of breadcrumbs. Add the egg yolks and mix with your fingers until it forms a soft paste. You may need to add a little iced water. You can do this in a food processor, pulsing the ingredients together if you prefer. Wrap the pastry in cling film and put in the fridge for at least 1 hr to rest. Can be made 2 days ahead.
• Take the pastry from the fridge and roll out on a lightly floured surface, to the thickness of a £1 coin. Use it to line a 23cm loose-based tart tin, making sure you work the pastry right into the crease and have it slightly overlapping the rim. Chill the pastry for 1 hr more.
• Heat oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Line the chilled tart base with baking parchment, then fill with baking beans or rice and bake for 20 mins. Remove the pastry from the oven, take out the baking beans and parchment, and cook for a further 15-20 mins or until the base is crisp. Leave to cool.
• Once cooled, use a sharp knife to trim the excess pastry to leave a smooth edge. Spread the caramel over the base of the tart and place the whole thing in the freezer for at least 1 hr. Can be prepared to this stage up to 1 week ahead.
• The next day, heat oven to 140C/120C fan/ gas 1. To make the chocolate filling, melt the chocolate in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water until just melted and set aside. In a separate pan, bring the milk and cream to the boil, stirring to make sure it doesn't burn at the bottom. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs until frothy, then pour the hot cream onto the eggs while whisking. Pass this mixture through a sieve onto the melted chocolate and mix fairly quickly.
• Take the tart out of the freezer and pour the chocolate custard on top of the caramel. Bake in the oven for 20-25 mins until there is only a slight wobble. Remove from the oven and leave to cool for at least 2 hrs, or chill in the fridge for 1 hr before slicing. Can be done the day before.
• Meanwhile, make your frosted pistachios. Put the sugar and 30ml water in a pan, bring to the boil, then reduce by half - but don't let it caramelise. Add the nuts and stir to crystallise the sugar. Tip onto a sheet of baking parchment and leave to cool.
• To make the rum cream, put the cream and sugar in a large bowl and whisk to soft peaks, then pour in the rum and whisk until firm. Place in the fridge to chill.
• When you're ready to serve, crush the frosted nuts roughly with a pestle and mortar, then scatter over the top. Add neat spoonfuls or quenelles of the cream on top, then coat the tart in a layer of finely grated chocolate, and serve.

CHOCOLATE-PISTACHIO TORTE

Steps:

• Make cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour an 8-inch round cake pan; line bottom with parchment or waxed paper. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt, and baking powder. Set aside.
• In a large heatproof bowl set over (not in) a saucepan of simmering water, melt butter and chocolate, stirring frequently, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove bowl from pan. Whisk in sugar and vanilla, then eggs, buttermilk, and pistachios. Fold in flour mixture just until combined.
• Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, 60 to 70 minutes. Let cool in pan 5 minutes; run a knife around edge, and invert onto a wire rack. Remove paper, and let cool completely, about 3 hours. (To store, wrap in plastic, and keep at room temperature, up to 3 days).
• Make ganache: In a small saucepan, bring cream to a simmer; remove from heat. Add chocolate, and let stand 5 minutes; whisk until smooth. Let cool until mixture falls back in ribbons when lifted with a spoon, 2 to 6 minutes.
• Set cake on a serving platter; tuck strips of parchment paper under edge of cake to prevent ganache from dripping on platter. Pour ganache onto center of cake; using a table knife, spread evenly over the top and down the sides. Let set, about 30 minutes. Remove paper from under cake; sprinkle top with pistachios.