Thursday, May 29, 2014

Chocolate Raspberry Tart – decadent, yet easy to make


As you know I don’t make desserts very often but when I do, it has to be for someone important to me and also it has to have a wow factor. Our sister-in-law’s birthday was last week and we decided to make something special for her. She and her husband are in the midst of remodeling their kitchen including their living & dining room so you can imagine what their house must be like without a kitchen in the middle of a 5 week major project. Yes, she absolutely deserved a very decadent treat on her birthday.

I scoured cookbooks and magazines for something decadent and I stumbled across this chocolate raspberry tart from an old Martha Stewart’s Everyday Food magazine. As you know I’m not much of a baker, but the minute I laid my eyes on the picture I knew I found something really spectacular. I always make a point of reading the on-line reviews and when I saw that one reviewer said, “It was too easy to make for how delicious it was,” that gave me confidence to think that I could pull it off. Plus I knew I could count on a little backup help from Meakin if I got in over my head.

The tart looked every bit as good as it did in the picture in the magazine and it came together as easily as promised. You can make it a day ahead and keep it in the refrigerator, but if you do, add the raspberries at the last minute. A flat-bottom metal 1-cup dry measuring cup is very helpful to press the cookie dough firmly into the tart pan around the edges.

So for all you non-bakers such as myself out there that are looking for an easy and decadent dessert to impress your family or guests, this chocolate raspberry tart is for you.



Chocolate Raspberry Tart
Adapted from Everyday Food by Martha Stewart– serves 9
Printable Recipe

32 chocolate (about 8 ounces) chocolate wafer cookies – I used Nabisco Famous chocolate wafers found in the baking aisle or on-line at Amazon
2 tablespoons sugar
Coarse salt
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted
12 ounces dark chocolate chocolate chips (or semisweet if you prefer)
1 ¼ cups heavy cream
1 ½ cups (6 ounces) fresh raspberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a food processor, combine cookies, sugar and ½ teaspoon salt. Process until very fine crumbs form. Add melted butter and pulse until mixture comes together. Press crumbs firmly into a 9-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom. Place tart pan on a baking sheet and bake until crust is dry and set, about 18 to 20 minutes. Let cool.

In a large bowl combine the chocolate chips and a pinch of salt. In a small saucepan, bring the cream to a bare simmer over medium-high heat. Take care not to let it boil. Immediately pour cream over chocolate chips and let stand one minute. Stir gently until chocolate melts and mixture is completely smooth. Pour chocolate into cooled tart shell, scatter raspberries on top, and refrigerate until set, about 30 minutes. To serve, remove tart from pan.

Cook’s notes: Use a flat-bottom metal 1-cup dry measuring cup to press the cookie dough firmly into the tart pan at the edges. Graham crackers can be substituted for the chocolate wafers, but the tart won’t be as intensely chocolate. It can be made one day ahead and kept in the refrigerator, but add the raspberries at the last minute.


This will be shared with Foodie Friday at Rattlebridge Farm, Miz Helen’s Country Kitchen Full Plate Thursday, Foodie Friday at Simple Recipes and Food on Friday at Carole's Chatter.  

Have a great weekend everyone.

35 comments:

  1. thinks looks really good and I so have to try this. thanks for sharing. Stopping by from Full Plate Thursday

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  2. Chocolate and raspberries. This looks wonderful!!

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  3. This is screaming "Father's Day"!! I am always thrown by crusts but I think this will be no problem. Looks delicious!

    Best,
    Bonnie

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  4. That sounds wonderful! I love raspberries and chocolate together.

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  5. Yummy! This looks so decadent and beautiful. And I suspect a small piece is all one needs.

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  6. It is the kind of dessert you would just like to dig into. A very special dessert Sam.

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  7. Sam, That is one beautiful and decadent looking raspberry tart! We avoid having desserts around our house too...so we rarely make them or buy them. I can't imagine being without a kitchen although our wall mounted stove died yesterday so we're a little 'crippled' in the kitchen right now... Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

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  8. A beautiful tart! It looks incredibly luscious.

    Cheers,

    Rosa

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  9. Oh my dear, this is a winner! I have the grandkids for the weekend and the oldest one has asked for something chocolate with berries on top. No kidding.

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  10. Wow ! This does have that wow factor, and my family would go bonkers over this chocolate and raspberry tart- and I would too!
    Love the fact that it's so easy. Thanks for sharing! Have a great weekend!

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  11. That really does look like a special treat Sam! I'll bet your sister-in-law was thrilled and everyone loved it:@)

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  12. Wow! That is a gorgeous dessert! It definitely has the wow factor working for it. I am all ready for easy!

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  13. o Sam...this looks luscious and wonderfully delicious! Who would have thought it's so easy to make!

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  14. Hi Sam, what a thoughtful thing to do, this tart looks amazing!

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  15. Since I would have been happy with just the berries or just the filling, or just the filling, I can only imagine how happy I'd be with the combo - It looks awesome. My BD is in Sep by the way.

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  16. I'll have to make this for Father's Day -- my husband love the chocolate/raspberry combo.

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  17. What a beautiful tart! It looks just luscious! I have found so many of the tart recipes from Everyday Food to be excellent - easy to make and picture perfect results!

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  18. That looks divine, Sam. It's a chocoholics dream and your lovely raspberries are perfect on top. Love that crust. I always forget about those wafers...my mother used to make something with those wafers and whipped cream. Do you remember that dessert?
    I bet your SIL thought she was in heaven!

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  19. I'd say that this has the WOW factor. Chocolate and raspberries are a perfect pairing.

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  20. What a beautiful dessert, Sam! It certainly does have Wow Factor and sounds like something I would absolutely love.

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  21. Hi Sam,
    Decadent indeed and a beautiful presentation!

    Thanks so much for sharing this fantastic Chocolate Raspberry Tart with Full Plate Thursday this week. Hope you are having a great weekend and come back soon.
    Miz Helen

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  22. It's beautiful, actually gorgeous, Sam and sounds amazing. I can't ever have enough indulgent chocolate desserts.

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  23. I love this simplicity! How very kind of you to make her a treat. We've done a kitchen remodel before, and it sure is nice to have someone bring in food...especially a nice treat. Thanks for sharing on Foodie Friday

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  24. Gorgeous!!! This is just the kind of dessert my family adores!

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  25. Beautiful presentation Sam. I bet Sandy loved it.

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  26. There is a lot of the "wow" factor here, Sam. Your lovely dessert does look decadent - what could be more delicious that chocolate and raspberries. What a yummy treat for your sister in law.

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  27. that looks very easy and it looks so rich and velvety I wish I had a slice right now! Your picture is worth a thousand delicious words:)

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  28. this looks so pretty and very sweet of you to make it ;-)

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  29. This is a great dessert! I seldom make desserts also, but this one is one to try! Thanks for the recipe and have a good rest of the week, Sam!

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  30. What a beautiful and elegant tart Sam...I absolutely love chocolate and raspberries...
    Enjoy the rest of your week :D

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  31. Even if we were bakers this decadent dessert would make life so much easier. This is the perfect dessert for any special occasion so that we can be in and out of the kitchen as quickly as possible to spend more time with that special someone.

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  32. Fab dish, it's on my shortlist for a feature. Cheers from Carole's Chatter!

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  33. Thanks for bringing this over!

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