Recipe: Chocolate Tart

So I of course went off the diet (way off the diet) for our Seder. This year, all us "kids" contributed to the meal to try and make things a little bit easier on my mom. My contribution was a chocolate tart, which, if I do say so myself, was scrumptious. It was also incredibly easy to make. Here is the recipe......

Chocolate Tart with Nut Crust (from John Johnson, chef and owner of Rancho de San Juan in New Mexico)

1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup pine nuts
½ cup plus 3 tablespoons sugar
½ cup butter
9 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate
6 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon cognac or brandy
½ teaspoon almond extract
Unsweetened cocoa powder


In a food processor, whirl walnuts, pine nuts and ½ cup sugar until nuts are coarsely ground. Pour into a 9-inch tart pan with removable rim. In a 2-cup glass measure, melt ¼ cup butter in a microwave oven. Add melted butter to nut mixture and rub in with your fingers to blend. Press mixture evenly over bottom and up sides of pan. Set pan on a foil-lined baking sheet.

Bake in a 325 degree regular or convection oven until crust begins to brown around edges – 20 to 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, chop half the chocolate into ½ inch chunks and set aside. Finely chop remaining chocolate.

In the glass measure, combine remaining ¼ cup butter, cut into small pieces, with finely chopped chocolate. Heat in a microwave oven at half power until chocolate is soft, 30 to 45 seconds. Stir until mixture is smooth.

In a bowl with a mixer on high speed, beat egg yolks, remaining 3 tablespoons sugar, cognac and almond extract until mixture turns pale yellow, about 3 minutes. Add chocolate-butter mixture and beat to blend. Stir in coarsely chopped chocolate. Scrape into warm nut crust.

Bake in a 325 degree oven until filling barely jiggles when pan is gently shaken, about 15 minutes. Set on a rack until warm or cool.

To serve, remove rim and dust tart lightly with cocoa and cut into wedges. Can be served with softly whipped cream.