Dubai Chocolate Tart Recipe

Make the dough

Whisk together flour, cocoa powder, confectioners' sugar and salt in a large bowl. Add cold cubed butter and use a pastry cutter or fingertips to cut butter into the dry ingredients until mixture resembles coarse crumbs with some pea-sized pieces of butter remaining.

Bind the dough

Whisk egg yolk, cold water and vanilla in a small bowl. Sprinkle this mixture over the flour-butter mixture and gently fold with a spatula until the dough begins to come together. If still dry, add up to 1 teaspoon more cold water, 1/4 tsp at a time. Do not overwork.

Chill

Turn dough out onto a piece of plastic wrap, flatten to a disk, wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes (up to 2 hours).

Blind bake the shell

Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Lightly flour a work surface and roll chilled dough to about 1/8-inch thick. Fit into a 9-inch (23 cm) tart pan with removable bottom, pressing into the corners and trimming excess. Prick bottom lightly with a fork. Line the shell with parchment and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake for 15 minutes, remove weights and parchment, then bake 8–10 minutes more until set (edges may puff slightly). Allow to cool. Reduce oven to 325°F (160°C) if you prefer a crisper finish and bake an additional 5 minutes after removing weights for extra dryness.

Cool

Let the tart shell cool completely on a wire rack before filling, about 30–40 minutes.

Prepare chocolate

Place the chopped chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl. Use a chocolate with good flavor (60–70% cacao) for balance between bitter and sweet.

Heat cream

In a small saucepan, heat the heavy cream with granulated sugar and corn syrup (if using) over medium heat until it just begins to simmer at the edges—do not boil—then remove from heat.

Make ganache

Pour hot cream over the chopped chocolate in two additions, letting sit 30 seconds after the first pour. Gently stir from the center outward with a spatula or whisk until the chocolate is fully melted and mixture is glossy and smooth.

Finish ganache

Add the room-temperature butter and sea salt. Stir until butter is fully incorporated and ganache is silky. If any lumps remain, warm the bowl over a double boiler briefly while stirring, or microwave in 10-second bursts, stirring between bursts, until smooth.

Temper if necessary

If the ganache is too warm and thin, let it cool at room temperature until it thickens slightly but is still pourable (about 15–30 minutes). If it firms too much, gently warm to return to a pourable consistency.

Fill the tart

Place the cooled tart shell on a baking sheet. Pour the ganache into the shell, smoothing the top with an offset spatula. Tap the pan gently on the counter to release air bubbles and level the surface.

Set

Let the tart sit at room temperature until the ganache sets to a glossy, sliceable consistency, about 1–2 hours. For faster setting, refrigerate for 30–45 minutes, then bring back to cool room temperature for 10 minutes before serving to avoid a chalky cold texture.

Garnish

Dust the tart lightly with unsweetened cocoa powder using a fine sieve. Scatter chocolate curls and a few flakes of sea salt over the top if desired to enhance texture and flavor contrast.

Slice and serve

Use a sharp knife warmed under hot water and wiped dry between cuts to make clean slices. Serve at room temperature. Keeps refrigerated in an airtight container up to 4 days — bring to room temperature before serving.