Chocolate Raspberry Tart

I got this recipe from a dairy-free, multi-allergy friend. I'm not entirely sure where she got it.
If you've got weird allergies, this dessert recipe is for you!

For the crust:

• 1 1/2 cups almond flour (I've also discovered tigernut flour works)
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/4 cup melted coconut oil
• 1 Tbsp pure maple syrup
• Pinch of course sea salt (I preferred fine for my crusts)

Filling:

• 1/2 cup canned full-fat coconut milk
• 6 oz bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped (it's better to chop up a bar than to use chocolate chips, in my experience)
• 1/4 cup raspberry preserves (100% fruit)
• 2 cups raspberries

Directions

1. Lightly grease a 9in pan with a removable bottom with coconut oil (I used a pie plate)
2. In a bowl, combine all of the ingredients for the crust and stir together. Press evenly into the prepared tart pan. Set aside.
3. Place finely chopped chocolate in a large bowl (wider is better than deeper in this instance). In a small saucepan, bring coconut milk just to a boil. Pour hot coconut milk over chocolate and let stand 1 minute, then stir until smooth and creamy. Stir in raspberry preserves. Pour the filling into the prepared crust. 
4. Garnish the top with raspberries.
5. Place tart in the refrigerator to set and cool completely, about 1-2 hours. Slice and serve!

Notes: I definitely recommend using fresh fruit for this tart. I used frozen strawberries because that's what I had and the texture was not quite ideal since the fruit was squishy. Depending on how dark the chocolate is that you're using (I was using like an 85% dark chocolate) and how much sugar is in your preserves/jam, you may want to add some maple syrup to your chocolate mixture as well. If you use a super dark chocolate like I did, the bitterness of the chocolate may overwhelm the fruit and you'll not get the tart flavor. This recipe is also easy to use as a spring-board for other flavor combinations (such as chocolate-orange); just replace the raspberry preserves with preserves, puree, or juice of the fruit you want and replace the whole raspberries with the fruit you desire. It's also easy to taste the chocolate mixture before putting it in the tart to set. Feel free to add a little vanilla or almond extract. I'm contemplating a chocolate mango, chocolate pineapple, or chocolate mint flavor next. 

chocolate-orange tart

French Silk Pie

I found this recipe here.

I made this instead of a cake for my birthday. Not sure why I wasn't feeling cake but really wanted pie. I'm not that big on pie in the first place.

Crust:
I just bought a pre-made chocolate cookie crust

Filling:

• 4 oz unsweetened baking chocolate
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 cup salted butter softened
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 4 eggs, cold

Whipped cream

In a small microwave-safe bowl, melt the baking chocolate until stirrable (about 45 seconds on high). Set aside to cool.

It is important for the bowl and ingredients to be cold for the next stage of making the filling--to get the right texture and result. In a large chilled bowl with an electric mixer, beat the sugar and butter until fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes.

When the melted chocolate is cooled, drizzle it over the butter/sugar mixture. Add the vanilla extract. Beat the mixture thoroughly until combined (on a stand mixer, you will be using the whisk attachment).

Turn your mixer to a medium speed and over a period of 15 to 20 minutes, add in the 4 cold eggs, one at a time, leaving about 5 minutes between each egg addition. Once the pie filling is well mixed, pour it into the baked pie shell, scraping every last speck of it out of the bowl. Smooth out the pie filling and place the pie in the refrigerator to chill for at least 2 hours (preferably longer).

 

P.S. Your hand will be tired after this but your tummy will be happy.

Hot Fudge

A Patrick and Gina Neely recipe from the FoodNetwork. Best served with Peanut Butter Pie (or ice cream). This recipe reheats very well!

• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup light corn syrup
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/8 teaspoon table salt
• 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped 

Add the cream, brown sugar, corn syrup, cocoa powder, salt, and vanilla extract to a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Reduce the heat to a simmer and add the chopped chocolate. Stir continuously until the chocolate is melted and the sauce has thickened, roughly 3 to 4 minutes. Let the sauce cool for 10 minutes before serving.