A pure, unpretentious chocolate tart — crisp sweet crust, dense ganache — from a master chocolatier; small tweaks (rolling between plastic, a short chill) make it fail-proof.
Over the years I’ve made endless desserts for family gatherings — orange-chocolate bundt cakes, flourless chocolate cakes, chocolate-caramel cheesecakes, bourbon-pumpkin cheesecakes, pies, crisps, tarts and more — but the confections people still talk about years later are the ones that double down on chocolate. For Hanukkah I decided to skip the middlemen (flour, baking powder, fruit, cheese) and offer pure chocolate in the form of Robert Linxe’s Chocolate Tart from Dorie Greenspan’s Paris Sweets.
Item | Details |
|---|---|
Recipe source | Dorie Greenspan, Paris Sweets (as prepared by author) |
Yields (dough) | Sweet Tart Dough makes enough for three 9-inch tart crusts |
Tart pan used | One 6½-inch (16 cm) tart shell for the Linxe tart |
Make-ahead notes | Dough: rest ≥4 hours, refrigerate up to 2 days or freeze up to 1 month. Tart best served same day at room temp; refrigerate overnight if needed. |
Over the years I’ve mentioned my admiration for Robert Linxe — the chocolatier behind La Maison du Chocolat — and his plain truffles remain my favorite single-bite chocolate. His tart is succinct and potent, very much in the ganache tradition. I couldn’t find a 6½-inch tart pan, so I made small tartlets in brioche molds; they reminded us of Swiss fudge cookies — nibble the crisp edge and save the fudgy center. The author suggests serving the tart plain, with a simple “cheater’s” crème anglaise (melted vanilla gelato or quality ice cream), or raspberry sauce. The author also added a splash of Frangelico to her version.
Paris Sweets, Dorie Greenspan
Makes enough for three 9-inch tart crusts.
Ingredient | Amount |
|---|---|
Unsalted butter, room temperature | 2½ sticks (10 oz; 290 g) |
Confectioners’ sugar, sifted | 1½ cups (150 g) |
Ground blanched almonds, lightly packed | ½ cup (2¼ oz; 70 g) |
Salt | ½ teaspoon |
Pure vanilla extract | ½ teaspoon |
Large eggs, room temperature | 2 |
All-purpose flour | 3½ cups (490 g) |
To make the dough: Place the butter in the work bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade and process, scraping down the bowl as needed, until creamy. Add the confectioners’ sugar and process to blend well. Add the ground almonds, salt, and vanilla; continue processing until smooth, scraping the bowl as necessary. Lightly beat the eggs with a fork and, with the machine running, add them to the bowl; process a few seconds to incorporate. Finally add the flour and pulse until the mixture just begins to come together. Stop as soon as the dough forms moist curds and starts to form a ball — you do not want to overwork it. The dough will be very soft, which is correct. (If using a mixer: use the paddle attachment; beat butter smooth, then add ingredients in the order above; stop mixing as soon as the flour is incorporated.)
Gather the dough into a ball and divide into three pieces. Press each piece into a disk, wrap in plastic, and chill at least 4 hours or up to 2 days before rolling and baking. (The dough freezes airtight up to a month.)
To roll and bake tart crusts: Butter the appropriately sized tart pan and place it on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Work with one disk at a time.
Because the high butter content makes this dough soft, roll it between sheets of plastic wrap: flatten a large sheet of plastic on the counter, place dough on it, then cover with another sheet and roll. Turn dough often so you roll both sides; lift sheets frequently to avoid creases getting folded into the dough. If the dough gets too soft, keep it, still between plastic, on a baking sheet and chill briefly. Remove the top sheet of plastic and center the exposed dough over the tart pan. Press the dough into the bottom and up the sides, remove the remaining plastic, and roll the pin over the rim to trim excess. Patch any cracks with leftover dough (moisten edges to “glue” them). Do not stretch the dough into the pan — stretched dough will shrink later. Chill the crust(s) at least 30 minutes in the refrigerator.
Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line the chilled crust with parchment or foil and fill with dried beans or rice (for blind baking).
Bake the crust(s) 20–25 minutes, until very lightly colored. If the crust requires full baking, remove parchment and beans and bake another 3–5 minutes until golden. Transfer to a rack to cool.
Storage: Wrapped airtight, dough keeps up to 2 days in the fridge or 1 month frozen. Frozen disks need ~45–60 minutes at room temperature before rolling. Baked crusts can be left uncovered at room temperature for about 8 hours.
Ingredient | Amount |
|---|---|
Bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped | 8 oz (224 g) |
Heavy cream | 2/3 cup (160 g) |
Large egg yolks, room temperature | 2 |
Unsalted butter, room temperature | 2 tbsp (1 oz; 30 g) |
Vanilla bean | ½ moist, plump, split lengthwise |
Fully baked tart shell | One 6½-inch (16 cm) shell made from Sweet Tart Dough |
Put the chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl and set nearby. In a small bowl, beat 1 tablespoon of the heavy cream with the egg yolks just until the eggs loosen. Make sure the butter is soft but not oily; if needed, soften it by beating with a spatula or rubbing under the heel of your hand.
Pour the remaining cream into a saucepan, add the split vanilla bean, and bring the cream to a full boil. Remove the vanilla bean, then pour the hot cream over the chocolate. Wait about 30 seconds, then whisk gently to blend the cream into the chocolate. Continue whisking delicately as you incorporate the egg yolk mixture, followed by the butter.
Pour the finished ganache into the baked tart shell. If you have a little ganache leftover, freeze it or use it to fill sandwich cookies. Jiggle the pan to level the filling and leave the tart on the counter until the filling sets, about 20 minutes depending on kitchen temperature. If the kitchen is warm, chill the tart for ~20 minutes to set the ganache, then return it to room temperature after it has set.
Do ahead: The tart is best served at room temperature the day it’s made. If you must refrigerate overnight, remove it and let it stand at room temperature about 2 hours before serving.
Tip |
|---|
Roll the pate sucrée between sheets of plastic wrap to handle the soft, buttery dough without overworking it. |
Chill assembled crusts at least 30 minutes before blind-baking. |
Blind-bake crusts with parchment and dried beans or rice for 20–25 minutes; remove beans and finish baking 3–5 minutes if needed. |
Let ganache set at room temperature (≈20 minutes) or briefly chill if your kitchen is warm; serve the tart at room temperature the same day. |
Dough can be refrigerated for up to 2 days or frozen up to 1 month; thaw frozen disks 45–60 minutes before rolling. |
