The Bent Fork Buttery Chococlate and Roasted Tarts...well worth the time.

The Bent Fork
Buttery Chococlate and Roasted Tarts...well worth the time.
A buttery shortbread crust flecked with vanilla beans holds a creamy bittersweet chocolate ganache. The ganache is combined with Calvados and then a layer of pears sets atop the ganache. The pears were roasted with vanilla beans and butter. Finally a shiny chocolate glaze is poured on as the final layer. Garnished with bronz

ed lustre dust and a dried pear slice. Truly decadent.

Shortbread Crust

1/2 cup butter

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp vanilla or 1/2 vanilla bean

1 cup flour

Melt butter. Cool slightly. Combine butter, sugar, salt and vanilla. Stir to combine. Gently stir in flour. Dough will be wet. Press into tart molds. Bake 15-20 minutes 350*.

Bittersweet Ganache with Calvados

I used equal parts (by weight) dark chocolate and cream and added 2 tbl. butter. You will need about 3 cups ganache for 8 tarts. (Sorry – I didn’t use a recipe so I don’t have the exact amounts) Add 2 – 3 tbl. Calvados (French apple brandy)

Scald cream and add to chocolate. Let sit for 1 minute. Stir and add butter and Calvados.

Pour a small layer of ganache in the bottom of the baked/cooled tart shells. Chill that in the fridge until just set. Add a layer of roasted pears (peel pears, wrap each one in aluminum foil with 1 tbl. butter and 1/3 vanilla bean with the seeds scraped out. Roast 350* 15 – 20 min. until tender. Let cool then slice thinly discarding core.)

Finish the tart by adding a chocolate glaze. ( I added 3tbl. butter and 1/4 corn syrup to the rest of the ganache to make a shiny glaze.)

For garnish slice pears thinly then place on a cookie sheet and bake at 200 – 250* until dry. I brushed bronze lustre dust on the dried pear than sprinkled the dust on the tart.
From Not without salt!