My two favorite pies are chocolate and pecan. You just can’t beat those two in my book. But when I’ve tried to have the best of both worlds and combine the pies into a Chocolate Pecan Pie it never seems to be good enough. Although tasty, it’s overly sweet for my tastes. So I was lying in bed one night not able to sleep because I was thinking of what to bring for Thanksgiving when the thought of a classic dark chocolate tart with a pecan pie topping crossed through my head. The following day in the kitchen the Dark Chocolate Tart with Pecan Pie Topping was born.

A rich and velvet dark chocolate center with a crackling caramel pecan topping is held in a salty pie crust creating one of the best tarts I have ever made. This Dark Chocolate Tart with Pecan Pie Topping is an elegant and simple desert that is perfect for entertaining this holiday season. It won’t last long so you might want to make two.

dark chocolate tart with pecan pie topping serves 8 to 12

for the chocolate tart: 

• unbaked pie crust*
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup whole milk (2% will do)
• 8 ounces good quality bittersweet (63% to 70% cacao) chocolate chips
• 1 Tbs instant espresso
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 2 eggs at room temperature, beaten

Months, and months, and months ago I told a friend, one certain Ashley B.{you know the one who used to write the hilarious columns on ISMS about musings of a mid-life mom}, that I would bake her a chocolate tart in exchange for something stupid I did or fogot to do (it’s been so long ago I forgot why). So when her birthday came up this year I thought I would finally make a tart and give it as a gift. I love this recipe because it’s so simple and absolutely undeniably insanely “slap your mother” delicious. After years of trying to get the right texture and taste through numerous recipes I finaly stumbled upon a traditional cullinary school  recipe with the perfect technique for texture but added years of my chocola-expertise if you know what I mean to finish off the right taste that I was looking for.

Sinfully good, very simple and quite impressive, this chocolate tart is good enough for bribery.

Chocolate Tart serves 8 to 12

• unbaked pie crust
• 1 cup heavey cream
• 1/2 cup whole milk (2% will do in a pinch)
• 8 ounces good quality bittersweet (63% to 70% cacao) chocolate, chopped
• 1 Tbs instant expresso
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 tsp sea salt, plus 1 pinch
• 2 eggs at room temperature, beaten
• rasberries and mint sprig for garnish

Remove the bottom of the tart pan and place it on top of a 12″ long piece of parachment paper. With a pencil, trace around the bottom.

Fold the paper in half matching the sides of the tracing together and cut along the pencil outline.

Next, place the bottom back in the tart pan and put the paper on top of it. Sprinkle one pinch of sea salt evenly on top of the paper.

Evenly lay the dough in the tart pan on top of the paper making sure to press the dough into every ridge. With a knife or your fingers, trim the excess dough from the sides. Store bought pie dough is probably the only thing I don’t usually make myself. If I’m not in a hurry I will make my own but for pies and tarts it really tastes the same so I just cheat and buy it. The funny thing is that my mom, grandmother and aunts are the opposite of me. They will buy a box cake mix or tube of cookie dough (something I just do not favor) but you will never see them buy pie crust. Their always asking me how do you get your crust so pretty and perfect and in response I say, because I’m awesome… awesome at the grocery store in the pie crust section. You are more than welcome to make your own. 

Prick the dough several times with a fork.

Place a large piece of foil into the tart pan covering the dough. Weigh down the foil with pie weights or just a bag of dried beans. This keeps the dough from bubbling up and shrinking. Place in the oven and cook for 15 minutes. When finished, remove the foil and pie weights. Set the tart shell in the tart pan aside to cool. The husband keeps cooking or tossing my pie beans. I finally had to buy anasazi beans with a labeled attached that reads, “don’t cook or through away the funny looking beans!”

LOWER THE OVEN TEMPERATURE TO 325°F. While the tart shell is cooling, combine the heavy cream and milk in a saucepan. Heat over medium heat until the milk and cream begin to bubble on on the sides of the saucepan.

Remove the milk and cream off the heat and add chocolate and espresso. Stir to combine.

Add sugar and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon sea salt to the chocolate mixture and stir until the smooth. Allow the mixture to cool for about 5 minutes.

Slowly add the beaten eggs to the chocolate mixture and whisk softly until incorporated. Don’t mix fast or you will get lots of air bubbles in your tart.

Palce the tart shell on a baking sheet. Pour the chocolate mixture into the tart shell and  place in the oven. Bake for 15 minutes to 18 minutes. If the tart starts to form bubbles or cracks immediately remove it from the oven as it is starting to overcook. It might seem a little giggly but it will set when cooling.

Place the tart on a cooling rack to cool completely.

Remove the tart form the pan and slide it off of the removable bottom onto a pie plate or serving plate (no need to remove the parchment paper).  Add a few raspberries and a sprig of mint for garnish if you wish. You may also garnish with strawberries, almonds or flakes of sea salt.

And if you can stand it wrap with a pretty bow and give it to an amazing friend for her birthday. That is if you don’t eat it first… confession time: Ash this is why you never got your tart months and months and months ago… it mysteriously vanished before I could give it to you.

Store in the refiderator but serve at room temperature.

printable mademoiselle and madame gift tags are from the adorable Eat Drink Chic by Amy Moss