Chocolate Truffle Tart

Oh my yes, this is for real. Chocolate Truffle Tart.  Not only do I like to experiment with a new entree dish each week, but I also like to try out new desserts.  This was out-of-this-world good.  The only downside to this is the high calorie count.  I don't exactly know what it is, but based on the ingredients that went into it, it's not low-cal, reduced fat.  Oh no.

Still, I'm glad I found it.  Original recipe can be found here on Dash Recipes.

CHOCOLATE TRUFFLE TART

INGREDIENTS:

For Crust:
28 chocolate wafers finely ground in a food processor (about 1 cup)
6 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled completely

For Filling:
1/2 lb fine-quality bittersweet chocolate (no more than 60% cacao), coarsely chopped
6 Tbsp unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/3 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS:

MAKE CRUST:

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Wrap a sheet of foil over bottom of springform pan (in case of leaks). Lightly butter side of pan.

Stir together ground wafers and melted butter in a bowl until combined, then pat mixture evenly onto bottom of pan and 1‚ inches up side. Bake until crust is slightly puffed, about 10 minutes, then cool completely in pan on a rack, about 15 minutes. Leave oven on.

MAKE FILLING WHILE CRUST COOLS:

Melt chocolate and cubes of butter in a 2-quart heavy saucepan over low heat, stirring until smooth, then remove from heat and cool 5 minutes.

Whisk together eggs, cream, sugar, salt, and vanilla in a bowl. Whisk chocolate mixture into egg mixture until combined well.

ASSEMBLE AND BAKE TART:

Pour filling into cooled crust and rap pan once on counter to eliminate any air bubbles. Bake until filling 1 inch from edge is set and slightly puffed but center trembles slightly when pan is gently shaken, 20 to 25 minutes. (Center will continue to set as it cools.)

Cool tart completely in pan on a rack, about 2 hours. Chill, uncovered, until center is firm, about 4 hours. Remove side of pan and sprinkle with cocoa to serve.

PERSONAL NOTES:

I didn't have bittersweet chocolate and surprisingly I couldn't find any.  I used a couple squares of semi-sweet chocolate I had in the cupboard as well as some dark Venezuelan chocolate I had leftover from making chocolate truffles recently (also ridiculously good). I was afraid it wouldn't come out right, but believe me when I say this was PERFECT! I was really making this for my husband, the raging chocoholic, but I ended up loving this as well.  It's kinda labor intensive but nothing outrageous.   It's something I would certainly consider making for company.

Oh, and I didn't used cocoa powder on top, as you can see by the pictures I used powdered sugar.  Just divine.