Chocolate Tart with Fresh Strawberries

Sweet Tart Dough (Pate Sucree)
from Paris Sweets by Dorie Greenspan

Makes enough for three 9-inch tart crusts. To be used with sweet dessert tarts.

Ingredients:
2.5 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
1.5 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/2 cup ground blanched almonds (I substituted 1 tbsp of almond extract)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs, room temperature
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Blend the butter in a food processor or in a large bowl with a handheld mixer until creamy. Add the confectioners’ sugar blend well. Add in the ground almonds, salt, and vanilla, and continue to process until smooth.

Lightly beat the eggs in a separate bowl and, with the machine running, add them to the work bowl. Once well-blended, add the flour and pulse until the mixture just starts to come together. When the dough begins to look like cornmeal and begins to clump into a ball, stop. The dough will be extremely soft.

Gather the dough into a ball and divide it into 3 pieces. Gently flatten each into a disk and wrap each disk in plastic wrap. Allow the dough to rest in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours, or for up to 2 days, before rolling and baking. It can also be kept for much longer in the freezer.

When making the pie crust, it is easiest to roll it out between sheets of plastic (Freezer size Ziploc bags work really great, or even just plastic wrap). Turn the dough over often while rolling and lift the sheets of plastic occasionally so they don’t crease. If the dough becomes too soft to work with, just slip it with the plastic onto a baking sheet and refrigerate for a few minutes.

Carefully remove one sheet of the plastic and flip the dough over the tart pan, so that the dough is centered with the exposed side facing down. Remove the other sheet of plastic and press the dough firmly against the bottom of the pan and up against the sides. (Be careful not to stretch the dough out). Roll your rolling pin across the rim of the pan to cut off the excess.

Chill for at least 30 minutes in the refrigerator.

To par-bake the crust, preheat the oven to 350°F. Line the crust with parchment paper and fill with dried beans or pie weights.

Bake the crust for 20 to 25 minutes. If the crust needs to be fully baked, remove the parchment and beans and bake the crust for another 3 to 5 minutes, or until golden. Transfer to a rack to cool.


Chocolate Tart Filling

Ingredients:
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup milk
10 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs, at room temperature

Fully bake one tart shell, and lower the oven temperature to 325°F.

To make the filling, heat the heavy cream and milk in a saucepan over medium-low heat, until it simmers slightly around the edges. Remove from heat.

Add in the chocolate and stir until melted and smooth. Add the sugar and salt and whisk. Beat the eggs in a small bowl and add them to the chocolate mixture. Stir until completely blended.

Pour the filling into the cooled tart shell and bake 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, remove the tart immediately (overbaked). Let cool before topping with fresh sliced strawberries.