Rocky Road Chocolate Tart

Rocky Road Chocolate Tart. It only took us over a year to finally get together after meeting through our community emails. When we finally did, I was thrilled that she had an English accent but I was the one who ordered tea. Meeting people for the first time always comes with lovely surprises and in this case, a recipe that I shall never be able to forget.

Just look at that buttery sweet crust, the slivered almonds, and the fudgy filling.

Rocky Road Chocolate Tart

• 8 oz McVitie’s Digestive Biscuits (In the US you can get these at Cost Plus World Market or Amazon.com) (Failing that, substitute with Graham Crackers, but only in an emergency)
• 4 oz butter
• 8 oz chocolate chips (use the good stuff, your mouth will love you)
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 2 egg yolks, lightly beaten
• 1 cup mini marshmallows
• 1 cup sliced, toasted almonds (butter toffee peanuts are also particularly yummy)
• 10 ounces dried cranberries

Stage 1:

Gently melt the butter in a pan. Finely grind the Digestive Biscuits (use a food processor or place in a zip-lock bag & beat with a rolling pin) and stir into the melted butter until completely mixed. Tip the biscuit mixture into a 9-inch loose-bottomed fluted tart pan. Press the crumbs down with a {straight-sided} glass to form an even layer on the bottom and up the sides of the pan. Use the side of a knife to keep the top of the sides even. Refrigerate until completely cold.

Stage 2:

Heat the cream in a pan. Put the egg yolks in a small bowl. As the cream begins to simmer, turn off the heat & whisk 1/4 cup of the hot cream into the yolks & then another 1/4 cup. Then pour the egg /cream mixture into the hot cream left in the saucepan & stir well. Add the chocolate chips and stir gently until the chocolate is completely melted and the mixture is dark, smooth, thick & very glossy. It takes a little while.

Mix the marshmallows, nuts, and cranberries in a clean bowl. Reserve 1 cup of this nut mixture and spread the remaining 2 cups evenly over the tart base. Pour the chocolate mixture, slowly and evenly, into the tart base, completely coating the nut mixture. It is easiest to use a 1/2 cup measuring cup to do this as it’s way more controllable than pouring from a heavy pan. Do not overfill the crust, but make sure all of the filling is covered. You will be left with about 1/2 cup of the chocolate mixture. Set this aside at room temperature. When that tart is filled with the chocolate mixture, carefully place it in the refrigerator to set.

Stage 3:

When the chocolate mixture is set, sprinkle the remaining cup of the nut mixture over the top of the tart. Remove the fluted ring from the tart but leave the tart on the metal base as it makes it much easier to transport. Drizzle (or pipe) the remaining 1/2 cup chocolate mixture back & forth over the surface. Return to the ‘fridge to set.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

12 days of Christmas: Seattle’s Pike Place Market and give away winner announced.

Javier says:

December 13, 2010 at 10:36 pm