Raspberry and Dark Chocolate Ganache Tart

 

There's a pretty decent sized raspberry patch nestled back by the garden, where I go once in the morning to pick berries for my cereal or yogurt parfait made with this amazing granola.  I'll venture there again at dusk, just to see if any more berries ripened while I was gone.  I'm kind of in love with raspberries, see?  Especially when you pop them in your mouth while they are still warm from the sun.  The.  Best.

Do check for little bugs before you do this, otherwise you might get a little more protein than you were banking on...Not to speak from personal experience or anything.

When I was scrolling through the archives,  it dawned on me that I hadn't baked anything with chocolate since the Double Chocolate and Skor Trifle I made for my sister's birthday.  Seriously!  I'm not holding out on you either; believe me - if I'm baking with chocolate you'll find out about it. Truth is I haven't really eaten that much chocolate over the Summer.  I know!  Someone check the calender to make sure it's not 2012 yet and the End of Days is upon us.

Renee + Chocolate is a universal understanding, but with all of the glorious fruit abounding this season, I've been baking with whatever I've picked up at the market. Some may say I've been a little heavy handed with the rhubarb, but that's okay.  You can't please everyone.  Until now.  Now I bring you chocolate.

Raspberry and Dark Chocolate.  There's nothing like it.  Especially when the chocolate is creamy and truffle like, and the raspberries freshly picked from your (or someone else's) backyard.  Add to that a buttery, flaky crust, and really, it's amazing.  What else can I say?

My Mom was my taste tester that night,  and we both agreed that the tart needed a little whipped cream to balance out the strong flavours of chocolate and raspberry.  I had also eschewed the raspberry glaze first night, because, well, I didn't have any raspberry jam in the house like I thought.  Got some the next day, and you can probably see a difference in the photos.  Better with the glaze, no? The tart was even more delicious on the second night, especially with the whipped cream.  And I may have eaten it for breakfast on the third day.  With strong coffee.  Glorious!

The raspberries are waning now.  But I can't really complain.  They've been good to me for over a month, and I'm grateful for it.  There may even be just enough for tomorrow's breakfast.  One last taste of the ruby red gems.

Raspberry and Dark Chocolate Ganache Tart

crust:
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup plus 3 tbsp butter, cold, cut into 1/2" cubes
3 tbsp icing sugar
2 egg yolks
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp plus 1 1/2 tsp cold water

filling:
1 cup heavy whipping cream
12 ounces (360g)  70% dark chocolate (I used Lindt this time), chopped
1 tsp vanilla
1 tbsp Kahlua or strong coffee

4 cups fresh raspberries, lightly rinsed, and laid to dry on a tea towel
3 tbsp seedless raspberry jam

sweetened whipped cream for garnish

To make the crust, combine the flour, butter, and icing sugar in a food processor and pulse until crumbly.  In a small bowl, beat the egg yolks with the lemon juice and water.  Add to the flour mixture, with the motor running.  Dough should be soft.  Gather into a disc, wrap in plastic and chill for 30 minutes.  Roll out and fit into a 9 inch tart pan, trimming edges.  With a fork, poke a few holes in the crust.    Freeze 20 minutes.   
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Bake crust for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.  Let cool completely.
Meanwhile, heat cream in a heavy saucepan, until it comes to a boil.  Remove from heat and stir in chocolate.  Stir until completely smooth.  Add the vanilla and coffee flavouring.  Let cool 15 minutes.  Pour into cool crust.  Refrigerate until firm, about 40 minutes, then top with berries.  Melt down the raspberry jam with a bit of water and brush over the tart.  Chill for a 20 minutes before cutting.  Serve with sweetened whipped cream. Serves 6-8.