Today was a day of mini-fun family celebrations. My oldest daughter lost her second tooth and still believes in the tooth fairy. As I was putting her to sleep and tucking her tiny little tooth under her pillow, she asked me if the tooth fairy was going to leave something in addition to money. . like a piece of candy wrapped in a bow. Either Phoebe is brilliant and has figured out that I am her tooth fairy or it was the cutest moment ever. My husband returned from an almost week long business trip and we spent a beautiful day together just hanging out. He doesn’t have to travel anywhere this week so we are all happy. And Madeline is finally learning to ride her tricycle. She has a hand-me-down rusty, old tricycle from my brother-in-law’s family that Phoebe also rode but it’s awesome and she loves it.
I’ve been wanting to bake this tart for some time now. And today was the day. Chocolate lovers, you must try this one. The bittersweet chocolate + the bits of hazelnuts mixed in + the flecks of sea salt on top . . this tart decadent and delicious. And because I love an equally thick and yummy crust, I made this crust a little thicker. For me, if the crust isn’t good, the tart isn’t any good. This crust rocks.
I hope you enjoy!
Bittersweet Chocolate Hazelnut Tart
Ingredients
Crust:
- 1 cup unsalted butter melted
- 5-6 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 pinches fine sea salt
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
Filling:
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup milk
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- pinch of fine sea salt
- 8 oz good quality bittersweet chocolate; chopped
- 1 large egg slightly beaten
- 1/2 cup chopped roasted hazelnuts with skins removed
- course sea salt to sprinkle on top
Special equipment:
- 9 inch round tart pan with removable bottom preferred
Instructions
- Whisk together the melted butter, sugar, vanilla extract and salt. Stir in the flour and mix together until it resembles damp, course sand. Press the dough into the tart pan evenly on the bottom and up the sides of the tart pan. Prick the dough evenly all over with a fork and refrigerate for about 30 minutes.
- When ready to bake, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Set your tart pan onto a baking sheet/tray and bake for about 25 minutes, or until golden brown.
- Bring the heavy cream, milk, sugar and salt to a low simmer over low heat. Remove from the heat and add the chocolate when you start to see little bubbles starting to form around the edges. Let sit for about 2 minutes without stirring and after 2 minutes, begin whisking from the center out, until the chocolate is smooth and shiny.
- Add the beaten egg and mix well. Next, add the roasted hazelnuts and mix well again. Pour the filling into the hot crust. Lower the oven temp to 300 degrees and bake the tart for about 15-16 minutes, or until the tart has set. You know it's good to remove from the oven when you jiggle the tart pan and only the center portion jiggles. If it jiggles all the way to the outer edge of the tart, you need to bake it a few minutes longer.
- Remove from the oven and sprinkle with the course sea salt, being as generous as you please. Let the tart cool for a while before attempting to remove it from the pan.
Recipe adapted from Sarah Copeland’s 
