This is what death by chocolate looks like, in case you were wondering.
There’s no use denying that this dessert is completely over the top, teetering on the edge of something absolutely amazing and something almost horrifying. In the end it’s a winner, something that only becomes clear when you realize you’ve eaten half the cake and are reeling from the repercussions of so much sugar, and so much chocolate. I know I’m speaking in hyperbole here, but I think it’s only fair when discussing chocolate on dulce de leche on chocolate.
It’s really difficult not to get inspired by every single picture and recipe heading in David Lebovitz’s latest book My Paris Kitchen. All of my baking lately has involved fruit (as it should- the summer is flying by!) and I was looking for something chocolate-y and totally indulgent when I turned to the full page photo of the inside of this tart. Chocolate tart crust topped with a thick layer of dulce de leche (more on that later) topped with an even thicker layer of shiny, smooth bittersweet chocolate custard. I wiped the drool off my face and got to work.
If you don’t have access to already prepared dulce de leche in your Parisian cheese market as David Lebovitz does, it’s laughably easy to make yourself- just start the process first thing in the morning as it does take awhile. The ingredient is…a can of sweetened condensed milk. You can either boil your unopened can in a pot of water for 4-5 hours or open it up, spread it in a baking dish and bake it for 1 1/2-2 hours until dark golden and delicious. I had no idea that this was the secret to gooey and delicious dulce de leche and I feel like it’s a slippery slope from here to me eating it out of a can with a spoon.
Despite being a show-stopper with several steps, this tart is not overly complicated to make. The chocolate tart crust comes together easily and is pressed into the pan and par-baked. A thick layer of dulce de leche is spread on top. Lastly, a bittersweet chocolate custard is poured over it all and baked until shiny and slightly set. The cake will be pretty jiggly when it comes out of the oven, but trust that it’s ready. After it’s cooled (and refrigerated) it will be ready to impress with a heaping spoon of whipped cream on the top.
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons (3 oz./85g) salted butter, at room temperature
- 1/4 cup (35g) powdered sugar
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 cup (140g) all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup (35g) Dutch-process or natural unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/4 teaspoon fleur de sel or other flaky sea salt
- 8 oz. (230g) bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
- 2 large eggs
- 1 1/4 cups (310ml) whole milk
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, or 1 teaspoon dark rum
- 1 cup (240g) dulce de leche
- Flaky sea salt, for sprinkling over the tart
- Whipped cream or vanilla ice cream, for serving
Instructions
- To make the crust, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and powdered sugar on low speed just until smooth. Add the yolk, stopping the machine to scrape down the sides of the bowl, until it's fully incorporated.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the flour and coca powder. Add them to the butter mixture, mixing just until the dough comes together. Form the dough into a disk, wrap in plastic, and let rest for 30 minutes at room temperature.
- Use the heel of your hand to press the dough into a 9-inch (23cm) tart ring with a removable bottom, getting the bottom as flat as possible and pressing the dough up the sides of the pan until it reaches the rim. Sprinkle the salt over the bottom of the dough and press it into the pastry. Put the pan in the freezer for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Line the chilled tart crust with aluminum foil and cover with a layer of pie weights or dried beans. Bake the tart shell for 15 minutes, remove the foil and pie weights, and then bake for 5 minutes more, until the tart shell feels set. Remove from the oven and decrease the oven temperature to 300°F (150°C).
- While the tart is baking, make the chocolate filling. Melt the chocolate in a clean, dry bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Once melted, remove the bowl from the heat and set a fine-mesh strainer over the top.
- Whisk the eggs in a bowl. Heat the milk in a saucepan, then gradually whisk the warm milk into the eggs. Scrape the mixture back into the saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with a heatproof spatula, until it's steamy and thickens slightly, about 3 minutes. (If it separates a bit, remove it from the heat, and whisk it vigorously to bring it back together.) Pour the custard through the strainer into the chocolate. Add the vanilla and stir until smooth.
- Spread the dulce de leche over the hot tart shell in an even layer, being careful as you spread to make sure you don't break the flaky bottom of the tart. (If the dulce de leche is very thick, let it sit in the tart shell for a minute or so to let the heat soften it, which will make it easier to spread.) Set the filled tart shell on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil, then pour the chocolate custard over the dulce de leche, smooth the top, and add a generous sprinkling of flaky sea salt.
- Bake the tart for 20 minutes, and then turn off the heat and leave the tart in the oven with the door closed to glide to a finish, 25 minutes more. Remove from the oven and let cool before serving. Serve the tart with softly whipped cream, vanilla ice cream, or just as is.
Notes
From My Paris Kitchen
August 18, 2014 at 6:25 pm
I nominated you for The Liebster Award, here’s the link http://blueberryzing.wordpress.com/2014/08/18/the-liester-award/