Dark Chocolate And Pine Nut Crostata Recipes

DARK CHOCOLATE AND PINE NUT CROSTATA

Steps:

• For crust:
• Blend flour, powdered sugar, and salt in processor 5 seconds. Add butter, yolks, and egg. Blend until moist clumps form. Knead dough into ball and flatten into disk. Wrap and chill at least 30 minutes and up to 1 day.
• Roll out dough on lightly floured surface to 14-inch round. Transfer to 10-inch-diameter tart pan with removable bottom. Cut off all but 1/2-inch overhang. Fold overhang in, pressing to form double-thick sides that extend 1/4 inch above rim. Chill crust 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 375°F. Bake crust 5 minutes. Using back of fork, press up sides of crust if slipping. Bake until golden, pressing up sides and piercing with fork if crust bubbles, about 25 minutes longer. Cool crust completely.
• For filling:
• Place chocolate in medium bowl. Bring cream to simmer in saucepan. Pour cream over chocolate; whisk until smooth. Whisk in honey. Pour filling into crust. Chill until set, at least 2 hours and up to 1 day.
• For filling:
• Sprinkle tart with pine nuts. Serve with whipped cream.

CHOCOLATE CHUNK COOKIES WITH PINE NUTS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
• Combine the butter, powdered sugar, cocoa powder, vanilla, and salt in a large bowl. Using a hand mixer, beat the mixture until creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the flour, pine nuts, and chocolate. Stir until just mixed.
• Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Scoop out 1-inch balls of dough. Place on the cookie sheet. Bake until the tops look dry, about 18 minutes. Let cool for 15 minutes on the baking sheets. Dust with powdered sugar and transfer to a serving plate.

CHOCOLATE CROSTATA

Steps:

• I love this because the crust is crunchy and buttery and it goes so well with the tartness of the chocolate.
• Ganache: In a small pot, over low heat, heat the cream with the cinnamon and orange zest. Use the pot of cream as the bottom of a double boiler and melt the chocolate, in a bowl, over the cream. When the chocolate has melted and the cream is heated, transfer the cream to a bowl and allow the chocolate and cream to cool slightly and separately. When somewhat warm, whisk the cream and the chocolate together to combine. Put the ganache in the refrigerator to cool.
• Crostata: In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, sugar, salt and lemon zest. Pulse the mixture to blend. Add the butter and continue pulsing to integrate and give the dough the consistency of a "gravel driveway."
• With the processor running, pour 2 tablespoons of ice water through the hole in the top of the machine and process until the dough looks like wet sand, adding more water if necessary, until it finally gathers into a ball.
• Remove the dough from the food processor and flatten it between 2 pieces of floured parchment paper on a baking sheet. Chill and allow it to rest for about 30 minutes. Roll the dough out to 1/4-inch thickness and cut out 8 (5 1/2-inch) circles. Make sure you lightly flour under and over the dough as you roll it.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Brush any excess flour off the dough before putting a spoonful of the cooled ganache in the center of each circle. Fold the sides up around it, making the chocolate the center of a small "money purse." Arrange them in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake until golden brown, about 12 to 15 minutes. Remove from the oven to a serving platter. Put any remaining ganache in the cavities of the crostada. Serve immediately with sour cream, whipped cream, or ice cream, if desired. Sift some powdered sugar over the crostata and garnish with a pinch of ground cloves, if desired.

DARK CHOCOLATE NUT CLUSTERS

Steps:

• Line a baking sheet with a nonstick baking mat. Place a teaspoon melted chocolate on baking mat; top with a small handful of almonds. Drizzle almonds with 1 tablespoon melted chocolate. Repeat process with remaining almonds and chocolate. Transfer to refrigerator and chill until firm.

PEAR, CHOCOLATE, AND HAZELNUT CROSTATA

Steps:

• Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 375°F. Place large sheet of parchment paper on work surface. Place crust dough atop parchment; roll out dough to 14-inch round. Transfer parchment with dough to large unrimmed baking sheet. Whisk egg and cream in small bowl. Brush center 10 inches of dough with some of egg glaze, leaving 2-inch plain border. Arrange pear slices in concentric circles atop glaze on dough. Sprinkle hazelnuts and both chocolates, then 4 tablespoons raw sugar over pears. Fold dough border over filling to form 11-inch round, pleating loosely and pinching to seal any cracks in dough. Brush crust with egg glaze; sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons raw sugar, then with 1/4 teaspoon sea salt, if desired.
• Bake crostata until crust is deep golden and pears are tender, about 40 minutes. Transfer baking sheet to rack. Run long thin knife under crust to free from parchment. Cool to lukewarm on parchment on sheet. Using large tart pan bottom as aid, transfer crostata to platter. Serve lukewarm or at room temperature.