TWD: Tarte Noire

This week’s Tuesdays with Dorie was chosen by Dharmagirl of Bliss: Towards a Delicious Life: tarte noire.  Even though it was a long weekend and in theory I had time to bake, it’s been brutally hot here and standing in the kitchen for hours with my oven on was the last thing I wanted to do so I was really glad Dharmagirl picked a delightfully simple, classic recipe. 

Only two components this week – Dorie’s sweet tart dough to make the shell and chocolate ganache for the filling.  Even better, both can be made ahead of time and popped in your freeze for last minute assembly.  I made only one 4.5″ mini this week (the long holiday weekend was indulgent enough without adding a huge chocolate tart to the mix).  I got very lucky and found some leftover sweet tart dough in my freezer so all I had to do was press it into the pan and bake it!  Don’t get me wrong, the dough is easy enough to make, but it’s put together in the food processor and I was glad not to have to pull it out and dirty it.  For the filling, I made 1/4 of the full recipe and used 61% E. Guittard chocolate.  Technically, the box is labeled semi-sweet (not the bittersweet the recipe calls for) but I don’t like bittersweet chocolate so 61% is about as intense as it gets in this house. 

I have to confess that the tart is sitting in my fridge untouched.  I don’t really like chocolate ganache so it doesn’t appeal to me.  Typically I’d count on Shane to eat the tart (and under normal circumstances he’d be happy to help) but he’s participating in his first Ironman triathlon this coming weekend so he’s trying to keep sweets to a minimum this week.  That said, I love Dorie’s sweet tart dough and I also know her ganache is tasty to those who enjoy ganache so this dessert is sure to please.  It’s a classic and given the ease with which it can be thrown together, I think it’s perfect for entertaining.  Thanks to Dharmagirl for hosting this week!  You can find the recipe on her blog or on page 351 of Baking: From My Home to Yours.