every year around the holidays, my mom makes this chocolate pudding pie. for some reason, this is one of those desserts that always seems to come to mind (despite the endless supply of pies, cookies and cakes). so, with this pudding pie in mind, i set out to make my own version with a slight twist!
thanks to some late night internet searching, i came across an article about a chef who uses sumac in his chocolate desserts. it was one of those, "brilliant, light bulb" moments and i knew i had to give it a try. sumac is a middle eastern spice more typically found in savory dishes such as hummus. if im being completely honest, like tahini, I look for any and every excuse possible to use sumac. it brings a wonderful tart/citrus-y/punchy flavor. once you try it, i dare you not to put it on everything! chocolate included. 😉
so let's talk about this tart: the crust is made from almond flour, cocoa powder, (brown) butter, a little sugar, sumac and pinch of salt. the ganache is as simple as heating some heavy cream to barely scalding and pouring it over chopped chocolate (dark, bitter, semi sweet, any combo you want), letting it cool slightly and adding an egg, vanilla and sumac. bake it, cool it and top it with some freshly whipped cream and shaved chocolate right before serving. easy, right?! enjoy! -megs
a tip or two...
- sumac is fairly easy to find in most specialty shops such as world market or in well stocked grocery stores. you can also order it through any online spice company or amazon. i would give a substitution, but there really isn't a close approximate for this dessert. if you're unable to find it, or find yourself unable to wait (been there!), you can omit it as an ingredient. the tart is still incredibly delicious without.
- use any combination of chocolate you like. just keep your audience in mind. dark chocolate will be richer and well, darker/not as sweet. semi sweet and bittersweet is more in line with a general audience appeal as they are sweeter. use a good quality chocolate. as most of the tart is made from chocolate, you want it to taste great!
- I personally love this served straight from the fridge, but you can also serve it at room temperature. just make sure not to top with whipped cream or shaved chocolate until you're ready to serve.
sumac + chocolate ganache tart
Equipment
- 9" tart pan with removeable bottom
- parchment paper
- pie weights, dried rice or beans
- sauce pan
Ingredients
chocolate almond crust
- 2 c almond flour (225g)
- ¼ c dutch pressed cooca powder (24g)
- ⅓ c sugar (74g)
- 10 tbsp unsalted butter, browned and cooled slightly (113g)
- ½ tsp sumac
- ½ tsp salt
ganache
- 6 oz. assorted chocolate, chopped (170g)
- 6 oz. heavy cream
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste (sub vanilla extract)
- ½ tsp sumac
- ¼ tsp salt
whipped cream
- 1 c heavy cream
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
- 2-3 tbsp powdered sugar, optional and to taste
- shaved chocolate for serving
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F, line bottom of a tart pan with parchment paper. Lightly grease sides of the tart pan with butter. I use a pastry brush dipped in some of the melted butter. To make the brown butter, melt butter in a clear heavy bottom pot. Once the butter starts to foam, whisk continuously until brown bits start to form. Remove from heat, pour into clean bowl, skim foam from the top and cool for 5 minutes. Whisk together the almond flour, cocoa flour, sugar, sumac and salt. Pour slightly cooled butter into the the chocolate flour mixture. Press into prepared tart pan. Line the crust with a piece of parchment paper, cut the diameter of the tart pan. Line with pie weights, rice or dried beans and bake at 350 F for 10 minutes. Remove from oven, remove parchment paper and pie weights and rest on cooling rack until the ganache is ready.
- While the crust is baking, prepare the ganache. Finely chop chocolate into a large bowl where most pieces are in a single/shallow layer. Heat heavy cream in a sauce pan over low-medium heat until barely scalding, but not boiling. Pour over the chopped chocolate and let sit for 4-5 minutes. Do not disturb the chocolate during this time! Using a whisk, stir the chocolate/cream unitl well combined and silky. Add egg, sumac, vanilla and salt, stirring everything together until smooth and well combined. Pour into par-baked crust and bake at 350 F for additional 15 minutes, or until the ganache has set. Allow to fully cool to room temperature before topping. Once cooled, it can be chilled in the fridge or topped and served.
- To prepare whipped cream, place mixing bowl and whisk attachment in the fridge for 15-20 minutes. Once chilled, pour heavy cream into the mixer/bowl. Beat the cream on low for 1-2 minutes, increase the speed gradually until soft peaks form. Add the vanilla, and salt. Return to medium speed and gradually add the powdered sugar 1 tablespoon at a time. Increase speed until firm peaks form.
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