Chocolate Cashew Tart Recipes

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F. Press cookie dough in bottom and up side of ungreased 11-inch tart pan with removable bottom. Refrigerate 15 minutes. Bake 15 to 18 minutes or until set. Dough will puff while baking but will hold its shape when set.
• In 1-quart saucepan, cook caramels and 1/4 cup of the whipping cream over low heat, stirring frequently, until melted and smooth. In medium bowl, place cashews. Pour 1/4 cup caramel mixture over cashews; toss until completely coated. Set aside. Cool remaining caramel mixture 5 minutes. Pour over baked tart shell; refrigerate 30 minutes.
• In medium bowl, place chocolate chips. In 1-quart saucepan, heat remaining 1 1/4 cups whipping cream to boiling. Remove from heat; pour over chocolate chips. Let stand 2 minutes; stir gently until smooth. Pour mixture over caramel layer in tart shell; let stand 15 minutes. Break apart cashews; place on tart. Sprinkle with salt. Refrigerate 2 hours or until set. Store leftovers in refrigerator.

Steps:

• For crust:
• Spray 11-inch-diameter tart pan with removable bottom with nonstick spray. Blend flour, sugar, cocoa, and salt in processor 5 seconds. Add butter and blend until moist sandy texture forms. Add 1 1/2 tablespoons ice water and blend until dough comes together. Press dough evenly onto bottom and up sides of prepared pan. Chill crust 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Place crust on baking sheet. Bake crust until dry-looking and slightly puffed, about 18 minutes. Cool crust on rack completely. Maintain oven temperature.
• For filling:
• Bring brown sugar, cream, maple syrup, and ginger to boil in heavy medium saucepan over medium-high heat, whisking gently until sugar dissolves. Attach candy thermometer to side of pan. Adjust heat to maintain low boil; cook until thermometer registers 222°F, whisking occasionally, about 8 minutes. Mix in cashews and coconut. Cool 20 minutes.
• Place chopped chocolate in small microwave-safe bowl. Cook at medium setting in 15-second intervals until soft and beginning to melt. Stir until completely melted and smooth. Brush enough chocolate over inside of crust to coat completely. Freeze crust until chocolate is cold and hard, about 15 minutes (reserve remaining melted chocolate for garnish).
• Pour filling into crust. Place tart on rimmed baking sheet. Bake until filling is beginning to darken on top and is bubbling thickly, about 35 minutes. Transfer tart to rack. Cool completely. Remelt reserved chocolate in microwave. Drizzle chocolate over tart in lacy pattern. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; store at room temperature.)

Steps:

• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the all-purpose flour, almond flour, sugar, cocoa powder and salt. Gradually add the butter with the motor running. Add the egg yolks and water, and mix until just incorporated. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Form it into a flat rectangle and wrap it tightly in plastic. Place the dough in the refrigerator and let it rest for at least an hour or up to 2 days.
• Remove the dough from the refrigerator and place it on a lightly floured surface. Roll it out until 1/8-inch thick. Brush away any excess flour, and cut out eight 3 1/2-inch rounds. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place eight 2-inch ring molds on the baking sheet, and top them with the dough rounds. Trim the top edge, and press the dough into the base of each ring to ensure there are no air pockets. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Heat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit with a rack in the middle position. Bake the shells for 7 to 8 minutes. Rotate the baking sheet and continue to bake for an additional 7 to 8 minutes. Remove from the oven and let the shells cool completely; then unmold them.
• Make the caramel filling. Combine the sugar, water, syrup and lemon juice in a medium saucepan. Cover the saucepan and cook to a dark amber color, about 8 minutes, over medium heat. Meanwhile, in another saucepan, heat the cream until warm. Remove the caramelized sugar from the heat and deglaze the pan with the warmed cream. Return the caramel to low heat and cook until the sugar has completely dissolved. Remove from the heat and whisk the butter into the caramel.
• Make the chocolate ganache. In a small saucepan, bring the cream and syrup to a boil. Meanwhile, place the chocolate in a large heatproof bowl. Remove the cream mixture from the heat and gradually pour it over the chocolate, stirring to emulsify. Let the ganache cool to 95 degrees Fahrenheit, and then stir in the butter.
• Assemble the tarts. Arrange the tart shells on a clean baking sheet and line the bottom of each shell with some cashews, to reach about halfway up the sides. Reserve additional cashews for garnishing.
• Warm the caramel if necessary, and spoon just enough to cover the cashews in each shell. The shells at this stage should be only one-half to two-thirds full, allowing ample space for the ganache. Let the tarts stand for up to 30 minutes to let the caramel set slightly.
• Warm the ganache if necessary, and fill the remaining space in each tart with the ganache. Let the tarts stand for 30 minutes to 1 hour, at room temperature, to let the ganache set.
• To serve, place a finished tart on the center of each plate, and garnish with some cashews, some candied lemon peel, and a scoop of your favorite ice cream.

Steps:

• In a large heavy saucepan over low heat, cook and stir the chocolates until melted. Remove from heat; stir in cashews and toffee bits. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto waxed paper. Refrigerate 10-15 minutes or until set. Store in an airtight container.

Steps:

• To make the pastry: combine the flour, sugar, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Add the butter and mix with a pastry blender or hands until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Make a well in the middle of the pastry. Combine the egg yolk with the ice water in a small bowl, whisking to blend; pour it into the well and work it in to bind the dough until it holds together without being too wet or sticky. Squeeze a small amount together, if it is crumbly, add more ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time. Form the dough into a disk and wrap in plastic; refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
• Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface into a 12-inch circle, about 1/4-inch thick. Carefully roll the dough up onto the pin (this may take a little practice) and lay it inside a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Press the dough into the pan so it fits tightly; press the edges into the sides of the pan. It is important to press the dough evenly into every nook and corner of the ring, especially the scalloped edges. Shave off the excess hanging dough with a knife. Put the tart in the refrigerator for 15 minutes to relax.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Place the tart pan on a sturdy cookie sheet so it will be easy to move in and out of the oven. Line the tart with aluminum foil and add pie weights or dried beans to keep the sides of the tart from buckling. Bake for 30 minutes, then remove the foil and weights. Using a pastry brush, lightly coat the crust with a beaten egg white. Return to the oven and continue to bake for another 8 minutes until the tart is golden in color, but not brown. Remember the tart will be cooked again with the filling. It should be cooked but light in color so that it will not burn on the second bake. Set aside to cool and lower the oven temperature to 325 degrees F.
• To make the filling: Heat the heavy cream and milk in a pot over medium-low flame, until it simmers slightly around the edges. Remove from the heat; add the chopped chocolate and stir until melted and smoothed out. Add the sugar and salt and whisk until well incorporated. Beat the eggs in a small bowl until blended and add them to the chocolate mixture, stir until completely blended. Pour the filling into the cooled tart shell and bake at 325 degrees F for 15 to 20 minutes until the filling is set and the surface is glossy. If you see any bubbles or cracks forming on the surface, take the tart out right away - that means it is beginning to become over baked. Cool before cutting.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 450°F. Place pie crust in 9-inch tart pan with removable bottom. DO NOT PRICK CRUST. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until light golden brown. (Check crust after 5 minutes; if crust puffs in center, flatten gently with back of wooden spoon.) Cool completely, about 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in 2-quart saucepan, heat whipping cream over medium-high heat just to boiling. Remove from heat; stir in chocolate with whisk until smooth. Stir in 1/2 cup chopped cashews. Pour into cooled baked shell. Refrigerate 2 hours or until firm.
• Spread dulce de leche over chocolate layer. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons cashews and the salt evenly over top. Remove tart from side of pan. Store in refrigerator.

Steps:

• Make crust:
• In food processor, pulse flour and salt until combined. Add butter and pulse just until mixture resembles coarse meal with some small (roughly pea-size) butter lumps. Drizzle 3 tablespoons ice water evenly over mixture and pulse or gently stir with fork until incorporated.
• Squeeze small handful of dough: If it doesn't hold together, add more ice water 1/2 tablespoon at a time, pulsing or stirring until incorporated. Do not overwork dough, or pastry will be tough.
• Turn dough out onto lightly floured work surface, gather into ball, and flatten into disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill until firm, about 1 hour. (Dough can be made ahead and frozen up to 1 week. Defrost in refrigerator before proceeding.)
• On lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 12-inch round, then transfer to pie pan. Trim edge, leaving 1/2-inch overhang, then fold overhang under and crimp edge decoratively. Prick bottom and side of shell all over with fork, then chill shell 30 minutes. (Shell can be assembled to this point ahead: Wrap entire pan well in plastic wrap and refrigerate up to 2 days, or freeze up to 1 week. Defrost in refrigerator before continuing.)
• While shell chills, preheat oven to 425°F.
• Line shell with foil and fill with pie weights or dried beans, then bake until pastry is set and pale golden on rim, about 15 minutes. Carefully remove foil and weights and bake shell until pale golden all over, 5 to 7 minutes more. Cool on rack.
• Make filling and bake pie:
• In medium saucepan over moderately high heat, simmer maple syrup, uncovered, until reduced to 3/4 cup, about 10 minutes. Carefully whisk in butter (mixture may splatter), then sugar and salt. Remove from heat and let cool to warm room temperature.
• In medium bowl, whisk together eggs and brandy. Whisk egg mixture into cooled maple syrup mixture.
• Preheat oven to 325°F. Spread chopped chocolate in even layer over bottom of prepared crust. Sprinkle nuts in second even layer, then pour filling over nuts. Bake until filling is puffed and center is just set, 45 to 60 minutes. Cool in pan on rack. (Pie can be made up to 1 day ahead. Let cool, then cover loosely and store at room temperature.)
• To serve:
• Using electric mixer, beat crème fraîche until it holds soft peaks. Serve with pie.