Chocolate espresso tart

I’m rather late in blogging about this because I’ve already made it several times. It’s been such a hit that I went to buy the rectangle-shaped tart pan as seen on the photo of Canadian Living because I knew I’d make it again.

And it’s not one of those items sitting in my cupboards slowly gathering dust, I’ve actually used it to make this delectable tart, and I’ll likely make it again soon. In fact, selfishly, half the reason I’m blogging this is so I don’t lose the recipe for it.

Sorry for the less-than-stellar photos, but the problem with this tart is that it never seems to hang around long enough for me to take a great picture. And believe me, these photos don’t do it justice.

It’s beautiful in its stark simplicity but if you prefer to jazz it up a bit, some fresh raspberries will do the trick nicely, or freshly whipped cream.

And while it seems like a small tart, and you may be tempted to dole out large portions – don’t. It’s quite sweet and just a small piece is quite enough.

I will say, however, that I’ve always loved the taste of chocolate amped up with a heavy dose of coffee but this may be too much for more sensitive palates. Indeed, when I used to cram for my exams I’d make hot chocolate and mix in two heaping teaspoonfuls of instant coffee.

Here’s the recipe for posterity. You’ll notice the label at the top left of the recipe site, it says “Tested until perfect.” I can vouch for the test kitchen, it truly is perfect.

To give it a more professional finish, give it a bit of a tap on the tabletop after pouring the melted chocolate on top of the crust. I’ve even used a skewer to pop some of the bubbles that form on the surface and then use a spatula or cake knife to smooth it out.

Substitutions:
None but I did start making this in my round pan and after falling in love with this recipe, I bought the rectangular shaped tart pan with removable bottom like you the one you see in the link. Semisweet chocolate chips would work nicely instead of the bittersweet listed in the ingredients, if that’s all you have. I use espresso freshly made from my espresso machine but if you needed to, espresso powder mixed with hot powder would likely do in a pinch.

Would I make this again?
I think I have already made it clear – yes, oui, si, ayo.

Grade:
A resounding five stars out of five. Beautiful, delicious, and keeps well in the fridge. An all-around winner.