The Cook's Illustrated Cookbook (342 page)

SERVES 8 TO 10

For more information on fitting tart dough into the pan, see
“FITTING TART DOUGH INTO THE PAN”
. For cutting clean slices, dip the blade of the knife in warm water and wipe with a kitchen towel before making each cut.

WALNUT CRUST

CARAMEL-WALNUT FILLING

CHOCOLATE FILLING

1. FOR THE CRUST:
Whisk egg and vanilla together in bowl. Process nuts and sugar in food processor until finely ground, 8 to 10 seconds. Add flour and salt and pulse to combine, about 5 pulses. Scatter butter over top and pulse until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal, about 15 pulses. With machine running, add egg mixture and continue to process until dough just comes together around processor blade, about 20 seconds.

2.
Turn dough onto sheet of plastic wrap and flatten into 6-inch disk. Wrap tightly in plastic and refrigerate for 1 hour. Before rolling dough out, let it sit on counter to soften slightly, about 10 minutes. (Dough can be wrapped tightly in plastic and refrigerated for up to 2 days or frozen for up to 1 month. If frozen, let dough thaw completely on counter before rolling it out.)

3.
Roll dough into 11-inch circle on lightly floured counter (if at any point dough becomes too soft and sticky to work with, slip dough onto baking sheet and freeze or refrigerate until workable). Place dough round on baking sheet, cover with plastic, and refrigerate for about 30 minutes.

4.
Remove dough from refrigerator; discard plastic but keep dough on baking sheet. Loosely roll dough around rolling pin and gently unroll it onto 9-inch tart pan with removable bottom, letting excess dough hang over edge. Ease dough into pan by gently lifting edge of dough with 1 hand while pressing into corners with other hand. Leave any dough that overhangs pan in place.

5.
Press dough into fluted sides of pan, forming distinct seam around pan’s circumference. (If some sections of edge are too thin, reinforce them by folding excess dough back on itself.) Run rolling pin over top of tart pan to remove any excess dough. Wrap dough-lined tart pan loosely in plastic, place on large plate, and freeze until dough is fully chilled and firm, about 30 minutes, before using. (Dough-lined tart pan can be wrapped tightly in plastic and frozen for up to 1 month.)

6.
Meanwhile, adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Set dough-lined tart pan on rimmed baking sheet. Spray 1 side of double layer of aluminum foil with vegetable oil spray. Press foil greased side down into frozen tart shell, covering edges to prevent burning, and fill with pie weights. Bake until tart shell is golden brown and set, about 30 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through baking. Transfer tart shell with baking sheet to wire rack, carefully remove weights, and let cool slightly while making filling. Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees.

7. FOR THE CARAMEL FILLING:
While crust is cooling, add water to medium saucepan, then pour sugar into center of saucepan (don’t let it hit pan sides). Gently stir sugar with clean spatula to wet it thoroughly. Bring to boil and cook, without stirring, until sugar has dissolved completely and liquid has faint golden color (about 300 degrees), 6 to 10 minutes.

8.
Reduce heat to medium-low and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until caramel has dark amber color (about 350 degrees), 1 to 3 minutes. Off heat, slowly whisk in cream until combined (mixture will bubble and steam vigorously). Stir in butter, vanilla, lemon juice, and salt until combined. Stir in walnut halves to coat. Let caramel mixture sit until slightly thickened, about 8 minutes.

9.
Set wire rack over piece of parchment paper. Using slotted spoon, transfer caramel-coated walnuts to rack, flip nuts right side up, and let cool completely. Stir chopped walnuts into caramel, then pour caramel mixture into cooled prebaked tart shell. Refrigerate tart, uncovered, until caramel is firm and does not run when pan is tilted, about 20 minutes.

10. FOR THE CHOCOLATE FILLING:
While caramel sets, whisk egg yolks and 1 tablespoon cream together in bowl. Bring milk and remaining ¹⁄
₃
cup cream to simmer in a small saucepan. Off heat, stir in chocolate and butter, cover saucepan, and let stand until chocolate is mostly melted, about 2 minutes. Gently stir mixture until smooth, then stir in egg yolk mixture. Pour chocolate filling evenly over chilled caramel in tart shell and smooth into even layer by tilting pan. Bake tart on baking sheet until tiny bubbles are visible on surface and chocolate layer is just set, about 25 minutes.

11.
Transfer tart with baking sheet to wire rack and arrange caramel-coated walnut halves around edge of tart to garnish. Let tart cool slightly on baking sheet for 30 minutes, then refrigerate, uncovered, until chocolate is firm, about 3 hours. To serve, remove outer metal ring of tart pan, slide thin metal spatula between tart and tart pan bottom, and carefully slide tart onto serving platter or cutting board.

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS

For an easy-to-make chocolate tart with a silky texture and a dense, slightly bitter flavor, we discovered that a simple ganache—dense to a fault and creamy—made a great start to our filling. Adding butter isn’t uncommon for ganache, but this addition gave our chocolate tart filling an optimally smooth texture. We chose not to call for vanilla in our chocolate tart recipe—it undercut the robust chocolate flavor—but we found that cognac emphasized the chocolate flavor. Incorporating cocoa into our
CLASSIC TART DOUGH
, gave us a rich foundation for the truffle filling.

SERVES 8 TO 10

Brandy or Grand Marnier may be substituted for the cognac. This tart is extremely rich and is best served with fresh berries and unsweetened whipped cream.

1.
Bring cream to brief simmer in small saucepan over medium-high heat. Off heat, stir in chocolate and butter, cover pan, and let stand until chocolate is mostly melted, about 2 minutes. Gently stir mixture until smooth, then stir in cognac.

2.
Pour filling into tart shell and refrigerate tart, uncovered, until filling is firm, about 2 hours. To serve, remove outer metal ring of tart pan, slide thin metal spatula between tart and tart pan bottom, and carefully slide tart onto serving platter or cutting board.

Omit cognac and add 2 teaspoons instant espresso powder or instant coffee to hot cream with chocolate.

Spread ¹⁄
₂
cup smooth peanut butter over bottom of tart shell and refrigerate while preparing chocolate filling. Smooth chocolate filling over peanut butter and chill as directed.

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS

Fig-walnut tart is a typical Italian crostata that combines an assertively flavored filling with a crumbly, sweet crust called pasta frolla, or “tender dough.” We wanted to come up with our own version—one that combined sweet dried figs with crunchy walnuts in a sticky, citrus-scented paste slathered thick across a crisp, leavened crust. Choosing the right type of fig, either Turkish or Calimyrna, was key to getting a tender and flavorful filling. Mission figs were simply too tough and made for a filling punctuated with coarse, chewy bits. We created a rich and sweet dough by perfecting the egg-butter balance (one whole egg and almost a full stick of butter). Finally, we learned that, unlike other pastry doughs, pasta frolla cooks through before it fully browns, allowing us to abandon the step of prebaking the tart and making this fig-walnut tart quicker to prepare.

See “FRAISAGE OR MIXING FLAKY TART DOUGH” illustrations that follow recipe.

SERVES 10 TO 12

Be sure to use an 10-inch tart pan here. For more information on fitting tart dough into the pan, see
“FITTING TART DOUGH INTO THE PAN”
. Dust with confectioners’ sugar before serving, or serve with
WHIPPED CREAM
.

TART DOUGH

FILLING

1. FOR THE TART DOUGH:
Whisk egg, 1 tablespoon water, and vanilla together in bowl. Process flour, sugar, lemon zest, baking powder, and salt in food processor until combined, about 5 seconds. Scatter butter over top and pulse until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal, about 7 pulses. With machine running, add egg mixture and process until all liquid ingredients are incorporated, about 12 seconds. Pinch dough with fingers; if dough feels dry and does not hold together, sprinkle remaining 1 tablespoon water over top and pulse until incorporated, 3 to 5 pulses.

2.
Turn dough onto counter and press together to form cohesive mound. Flatten dough into 5-inch disk, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 2 hours. Before rolling dough out, let it sit on counter to soften slightly, about 10 minutes. (Dough can be wrapped tightly in plastic and refrigerated for up to 2 days or frozen for up to 1 month. If frozen, let dough thaw completely on counter before rolling it out.)

3.
Roll dough into 13-inch circle, about ¹⁄
₄
inch thick, between 2 large sheets of floured parchment paper. (If dough sticks to parchment, gently loosen and lift sticky area with bench scraper and dust parchment with additional flour. Remove dough from refrigerator. Slide dough, still between parchment sheets, onto rimmed baking sheet and refrigerate until firm, about 15 minutes.) Remove top layer of parchment. Loosely roll dough around rolling pin and gently unroll it onto 10-inch tart pan with removable bottom, letting excess dough hang over edge. Ease dough into pan by gently lifting edge of dough with 1 hand while pressing into corners with other hand. Leave any dough that overhangs pan in place.

4.
Press dough into fluted sides of pan, forming distinct seam around pan’s circumference. (If some sections of edge are too thin, reinforce them by folding excess dough back on itself.) Run rolling pin over top of tart pan to remove any excess dough. Wrap dough-lined tart pan loosely in plastic, place on large plate, and freeze until dough is fully chilled and firm, about 30 minutes, before using. (Dough-lined tart pan can be wrapped tightly in plastic and frozen for up to 1 month.)

5. FOR THE FILLING:
Meanwhile, bring figs, water, brandy, and sugar to simmer in saucepan and cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid evaporates and figs are very soft, about 10 minutes. Stir in walnuts and orange zest and let cool to room temperature.

6.
While filling cools, adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Spread cooled fig and nut filling evenly over bottom of tart shell. Set tart on rimmed baking sheet and bake until edges of tart are lightly browned, 25 to 30 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through baking. Transfer tart with baking sheet to wire rack and let cool to room temperature, about 2 hours. To serve, remove outer metal ring of tart pan, slide thin metal spatula between tart and tart pan bottom, and carefully slide tart onto serving platter or cutting board.