Easter at the Grown Up Table: espresso chocolate ganache tart

Guest Posts

Jen was kind enough to whip up this perfect Easter treat for us, and then I went and didn’t post it in time for Easter. #fail. But there’s no reason you have to wait for another Easter to roll around- this is not only the perfect spring dessert, it’s the perfect anytime dessert. I’m going to have to start requiring samples to go along with guest posts.

here we go.
it’s easter.
loads of displays of chocolate eggs are zapping our system.
the anticipation for the easter bunny’s arrival is sending some kids into a frenzy.
and rightly so on their behalf.
but…is opening a brightly coloured foil wrapped chocolate egg as a grown-up as exciting as it was when you were five?
i’m guessing not.

the one thing i have felt in my life is a sort of roller coaster of development. you are born, embrace all that is child-like, hit the tweens and puberty and are forced out of all that and into more grown up adventures. then you are in your twenties or thirties, and are of course loving that and all it brings, and eventually you get knocked up and have to change your life right back to what you have grown out of. all of the precious time you took for adult development to shape you into this cool hip person now has to give way for baby einstein, peek-a-boo and nursery rhymes. and everything you do, eat and entertain yourself with has all the appeal to the 3 year old sitting in your lap – not so much yourself.

or you don’t have kids all together and feel a little left out when it does come to the easter egg hunts and gorging yourself on the required chocolate of the season.
so when do you get to have it all? the kids, the development, the holidays?
and why can’t it be sophisticated, refined and for lack of a better word – grown up?
that’s why am i bringing to you this….perfectly designed for the grown up table.

espresso chocolate ganache tart.

say it with me….espresso chocolate ganache tart.

think about it. savour it. now go and make it.

perfect for easter dinner.
not too pretentious for having with girlfriends.
classy enough for a dinner party when entertaining the boss or clients.
place a bowl of foil eggs on the kids table.
place this on yours.
and don’t forget the bubbly!! caps it off perfectly.

espresso chocolate ganache tart.

makes one 9 – 10 inch tart. i have on occasion stretched it out to accommodate a 12 inch one.

sweet shortcrust pastry dough.
the original of this comes from my grandmother. it’s the classic one – i didn’t re-invent the wheel here. but a trick i have picked up is adding powdered sugar to the crust rather than refined sugar. i feel it incorporates better and adds a smooth finish to the pastry. you could also add a touch of citrus zest if you like. i personally like a sweet dough – if that’s not your deal, just leave out the powdered sugar. do not adjust the other ingredients.
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling out
1/2 teaspoon of fine salt
9 tablespoons of unsalted butter, chilled and diced
2 large egg yolks
2 tablespoons of ice water {i actually use about 4 but start with 2}

1) sift the flour, salt and powdered sugar together {if using} into a bowl and then rub in the butter.
2) mix together the egg yolks and ice water. add to the flour, mixing as you go. the dough must be a little wet to hold together. if you feel your dough is still a little dry add more water, a tablespoon at a time, till desired consistency is achieved.
3) invert dough out on to a lightly floured surface and gently knead together until smooth. form dough into a ball. flatten dough slightly and wrap in plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes before rolling out.

rolling out and blind baking your crust.
pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees. roll out your dough, on a lightly floured surface, as thinly as possible – about 1/8 inch thick – to line the dish you are using. to line the tart pan simply roll your dough around your rolling pin {to avoid stretching out your dough} and roll it out over the surface of your pan. using an extra piece of dough wrapped in plastic, push down your dough into the edges & sides of your pan. once your are happy with this roll your pin over the top of the pan to cut off the excess dough {save this dough! or transfer right away to little tart shells or cut out in strips, twist, egg wash and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and bake!}. prick the dough all over with a fork and freeze/chill for about 15 minutes. {also if you have the freezer space a fun thing to do is prepare a lot of these, in different sizes and shapes, to have on hand in the freezer at a moments notice!}. line chilled dough with parchment paper and your "baking beans" {store bought pie weights or dry beans – i use nave beans – that you have specifically for this task.}. set on a baking sheet and blind bake in the center of the oven for 10 to 12 minutes. remove the parchment and the beans and bake for another 5 to 7 minutes. whne this is all done coast the crust with a egg ash {one beaten egg}, you can do this when hot or cold. then return the crust for one final time to the oven for 5 – 10 minutes to get it all shiny and golden brown. perfect. remove from oven and let cool completely.

espresso chocolate ganache.
the secret to this is the instant espresso powder. yes, it’s a powder. yes, it’s instant. yes, you can buy it in the grocery store. no, it’s not beans or brewed espresso. i’m sure you could possible seep crushed espresso beans in the cream while heating but not grounds – you would have to strain the cream before adding to the chocolate and the ground might sneak through the strainer. you could also swap out the espresso for a liqueur but that’s another recipe for another day!

12 ounces good quality 70% cocoa dark chocolate {you could do half dark and half semi-sweet but you want to have at least 6 ounces of dark chocolate in there.}
1 1/4 cup of heavy cream
2 tablespoons of instant espresso powder
chop up your chocolate and place in a heat proof bowl, sprinkle with espresso powder and set aside. in a small to medium saucepan heat your cream on low till just boiling, stirring constantly so it does not scald. pour hot cream over chocolate and espresso powder. starting in the center stir chocolate mixture until smooth and creamy. keep stirring till all the lumps are out. pour into prepared crust, smooth the top out with an off-set spatula and allow to set for 2 hours at room temperature or one hour in the fridge. serve with a dusting of powdered sugar or with sweet vanilla whip cream.

thanks heather for letting me hang out today!!

Jen Gronick is the voice behind the blog, Experience the Wonderful. When she’s not creating recipes and good food to eat, displaying her diy projects and expressing her voice, she is busy being the mother of two and the wife to her own mr. incredible.
After re-locating from the westcoast and putting down roots in the french-canadian countryside, jen and her family are still trying to discover it all and “experience their wonderful” every chance they get.