Dark Chocolate And Pear Tart Recipe

Make crust dough

Whisk together flour, cocoa powder, granulated sugar and salt in a bowl. Add cold cubed butter and work with a pastry cutter or your fingertips until mixture resembles coarse crumbs with some pea-sized pieces remaining.

Bind dough

Mix vanilla into ice water and add 1 tablespoon at a time, tossing dough gently until it just comes together when pressed. Do not overwork. Flatten into a disk, wrap in plastic and chill in refrigerator 30–45 minutes.

Blind bake crust

Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Roll chilled dough on a lightly floured surface to about 12-inch circle and fit into a 9- or 10-inch tart pan with removable bottom. Trim edges. Line crust with parchment and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake 15 minutes, remove weights and parchment, then bake 8–10 more minutes until set. Let cool to warm (about 15 minutes) before filling.

Heat cream

Place chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl. In a small saucepan, combine heavy cream, milk, sugar and salt. Heat over medium until just simmering and bubbles form at the edge (do not boil).

Make ganache

Pour hot cream mixture over chopped chocolate. Let sit 1 minute, then stir gently from center until smooth and glossy. Add butter and stir to incorporate. Temper eggs by whisking a tablespoon of the warm chocolate into the beaten egg and yolk, then whisking that back into the chocolate mixture until fully combined and smooth.

Fill tart

Pour warm (not hot) chocolate filling into the prebaked crust, smoothing the top. Tap pan gently to remove air bubbles. Set aside on a rack while you prepare pears and toppings. Chill tart in refrigerator at least 1 hour to set (can be chilled up to 3 hours).

Prepare pears

Peel, core and cut pears into sixths or eighths depending on size so pieces are uniform. Toss pear pieces with lemon juice to prevent browning.

Roast pears

In an ovenproof skillet or baking dish, melt 2 tbs butter over medium heat, add brown sugar and cinnamon until a caramel forms. Add pear pieces, turning to coat, then transfer to 375°F (190°C) oven and roast 12–15 minutes until pears are tender but hold their shape. Cool slightly.

Arrange pears

Gently arrange roasted pear slices over the set chocolate filling in a decorative pattern, pressing lightly so slices sit snugly but not submerged.

Toast and caramelize hazelnuts

Spread hazelnuts on a baking sheet and toast at 350°F (175°C) for 8–10 minutes until fragrant. Rub skins off with a clean towel if needed. Return to a skillet over medium heat with 1 tbsp sugar and 1/8 tsp salt; toss until sugar melts and coats nuts (about 2–3 minutes). Transfer to parchment to cool and then roughly chop or halve if whole. Sprinkle over tart just before serving.

Cook and strain

Combine raspberries, powdered sugar and lemon juice in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until raspberries break down and mixture is slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Pass through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, pressing solids to extract as much puree as possible. Discard seeds. Cool to room temperature.

Whip cream

Chill a medium bowl and beaters. Pour cold heavy cream into bowl, add confectioners' sugar, ground cinnamon and vanilla. Whip to soft-medium peaks, taking care not to overbeat. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Remove tart from refrigerator. If needed, warm briefly in a 300°F (150°C) oven for 3–5 minutes to take chill off but not melt the filling. Arrange roasted pear slices if you haven't already. Drizzle raspberry coulis around or over pears in a decorative pattern. Scatter roasted hazelnuts over the tart.

Pipe or dollop cinnamon whipped cream around the tart or serve on the side. Dust lightly with cocoa powder and a touch of powdered sugar if desired. Slice with a hot, clean knife for neat slices (dip knife in hot water and wipe between cuts).