Chocolate-Glazed Chocolate Tart

Chocolate-Glazed Chocolate Tart
Recipe by Paul Grimes

My friends celebrated their wedding anniversary over the weekend. We had a small get together for them and I was asked to bring a sexy dessert. I knew it had to be a chocolate. Chocolate screams sexy. I remembered a dessert I had seen at Gourmet.com, a Chocolate-Glazed Chocolate Tart. "A triple layer of crumbly crust, a truffle-like interior, and an almost patent-leather-shiny glaze." A sexy, sexy tart that looked impressive and was easy to make.

I decided to garnish the tart with strawberries and serve it with a strawberry coulis. The sweetness of the strawberry coulis paired nicely with the richness of the chocolate. There wasn't much talking during dessert, just a few mmmm's, ahhhh's and sighs. I think it was a winner. Enjoy!

Serves 8 to 10

Ingredients:
9 (5- by 21/4-inch) chocolate graham crackers (not chocolate-covered), finely ground (1 cup)
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
9 oz bittersweet chocolate (not more than 65% cacao if marked), chopped
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons heavy cream
1 3/4 oz bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 teaspoon light corn syrup
1 tablespoon warm water
Strawberries, hulled and sliced in half
Strawberry Coulis (recipe below)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle.

2. Stir together all ingredients and press evenly onto bottom and 3/4 inch up side of a 9-inch round fluted tart pan (1 inch deep) with removable bottom. Bake until firm, about 10 minutes. Cool on a rack 15 to 20 minutes.

3. Bring cream to a boil, then pour over chocolate in a bowl and let stand 5 minutes. Gently stir until smooth. Whisk together eggs, vanilla, and salt in another bowl, then stir into melted chocolate.

4. Pour filling into cooled crust. Bake until filling is set about 3 inches from edge but center is still wobbly, 20 to 25 minutes. (Center will continue to set as tart cools.) Cool completely in pan on rack, about 1 hour.

5. Bring cream to a boil and remove from heat. Stir in chocolate until smooth. Stir in corn syrup, then warm water. Pour glaze onto tart, then tilt and rotate tart so glaze coats top evenly. Let stand until glaze is set, about 1 hour.

Cooks’ note: Tart is best the day it is made but can be made, without glaze, 1 day ahead and chilled. Bring to room temperature before glazing.

Strawberry Coulis
Recipe by Dragon

Makes: 2 cups

Ingredients:
1/2 cup sugar
3 tablespoons water
3 mint leaves
1 12oz bag frozen strawberries, thawed
1 tablespoon Framboise (Raspberry liquor)

Directions:
1. Heat the sugar, water and mint leaves in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir occasionally until the sugar dissolves completely. This takes about 5-7 minutes. Remove the mint leaves.

2. Combine the strawberries and sugar syrup in a blender and puree.

3. Strain the strawberry mixture through a fine mesh sieve to remove the seeds. Stir the Framboise into the coulis.

4. The coulis will keep in the refrigerator for 4-5 days. Keep it tightly covered.