Fancy Foraging

I love to forage in my urban neighborhood for yummy things I can bake up into an elegant dessert. I’ve foraged violets, spruce, dandelions, and maple leaves in an area of just a few blocks of my home. My mom, who lives on a wonderful piece of land with oodles of amazing edible plants, had some red currants growing and offered some to me. I made them into this simple jam used it to cover a foolproof chocolate tart. Topped with a just-right layer of stabilized whipped cream and dusted with cocoa, this Chocolate Ganache and Red Currant Tart has lovely visual appeal and tastes incredible. I shared with the neighbors and received several texts that simply said, “Grooooaaannnnn” and “Good Lord!” I think that means they liked it.

Pate Sucree: Your New Favorite Pastry Crust

I used the crust recipe from the Tartine cookbook, making a few adjustments to standardize the measurements. This recipe makes two crusts, but believe me, you won’t mind. Put it in the freezer and and use it next time. The advantage of this crust, in my opinion, is that it is extremely versatile. It can be worked without becoming tough. It can be blind-baked or pre-baked, egg wash or no egg wash. It’s the classic sweet crust you expect from French pastry. It’s a less-is-more, foolproof crust. And it’s perfect for this Chocolate Ganache and Red Currant Tart.

Some tips for Pate Sucree:

• Return the crust to the fridge if it gets too warm. It’s buttery so warmer temps will cause it to become difficult to work with.
• Be sure to dock this crust before baking (that is baker lingo for pricking the bottom of the unbaked crust with a fork all over) so that it doesn’t puff up and get misshapen.
• When pressing this crust into the pan, try not to stretch it or it might shrink on you during the bake.

This Chocolate and Red Currant Tart is Basically Gestalt

The overall effect of this tart really is greater than the sum of all it’s separate components. The way the light whipped cream, rich chocolate and deep currant flavor work together is sort of magical. For chocolate tart fillings, I will often choose the darkest chocolate I think will work for the recipe. But for this fruity chocolate tart, I decided to use semisweet and it is just right. Rich and chocolatey, not too sweet and no bitterness. I just used Nestle semisweet chocolate chips for this but you can use any semisweet chocolate you like. I used homemade currant jam but I am 99.9% sure this will taste just as amazing with store-bought jam. You might choose to strain out some or all of the seeds. They do make it taste very homemade but they are also kind of annoying to eat so it’s a toss-up. I stabilized the whipped cream because I knew we wouldn’t be eating this whole tart right away, but if you plan to devour it the day you make it, you can omit the water and gelatin in that layer.

More Fancy Foraging and Exquisite Tarts from Bakers Brigade:

• Violet Jelly
• Dark Chocolate Tart with Espresso Whipped Cream
• Dandelion Jelly
• Earl Grey Lavender and Lemon Tart
• Caramelized Spruce Syrup
• Cranberry Curd Tart with White Chocolate Mousse
• Violet Lemonade

Print Recipe

Chocolate and Red Currant Tart

The perfect balance of semisweet ganache, red currant jam, and light whipped cream dusted with cocoa. Make this in stages and be prepared to chill in between layers.

Servings

servings

Ingredients

For Tart Shell:

• 1 stick unsalted butter room temperature
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 egg room temperature
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 egg (for egg wash)
• 1 pinch salt (for egg wash)

For Chocolate Ganache Filling:

• 1 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 9 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

For Whipped Cream Topping:

• 2 teaspoons warm water
• 1/2 teaspoon unflavored gelatin
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 3 tablespoons powdered sugar

To Assemble Tart:

• 4 ounces currant jam warmed and seeds strained
• cocoa powder for dusting
• fresh currants for decorating, optional

Servings servings Ingredients For Tart Shell: 1 stick unsalted butter room temperature 1/2 cup granulated sugar 1 pinch salt 1 egg room temperature 2 cups all-purpose flour 1 egg (for egg wash) 1 pinch salt (for egg wash) For Chocolate Ganache Filling: 1 1/4 cup heavy cream 9 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips 2 eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/4 teaspoon salt For Whipped Cream Topping: 2 teaspoons warm water 1/2 teaspoon unflavored gelatin 1/2 cup heavy cream 3 tablespoons powdered sugar To Assemble Tart: 4 ounces currant jam warmed and seeds strained cocoa powder for dusting fresh currants for decorating, optional

Instructions

For the Tart Shell:

1. In the bowl of your stand mixer, combine the butter, sugar, and salt and mix on medium speed until smooth. Add egg and mix until smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Add the flour and mix on low speed until just combined.
2. On a lightly floured surface, divide into two balls and then shape each into a disk about 1/2 inch thick. Wrap in plastic and chill for at least 2 hours or overnight.
3. Once chilled, roll out one disk (save the other for your next tart!) on a lightly floured surface to 1/8 inch thick, or until it is a circle about 2 inches bigger than your tart pan. Work quickly to prevent the dough from getting warm, rotating the dough 45 degrees every few strokes. Transfer the circle into a 9-10 inch tart pan. If the dough is too warm to transfer, put in the fridge to chill for a few minutes and try again. Press the dough gently into place without pulling or stretching (or it will shrink during baking). Patch any tears with bits of leftover dough. Use a sharp knife to trim the dough level with the top of the pan. Place the tart pan in the fridge or freezer until chilled and from, about 15 minutes.
4. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
5. Prick the bottom of the chilled tart shell all over with a fork. and bake for 7 to 20 minutes, until it's just barely starting to color up. Beat egg and salt in a small bowl. Remove tart shell from oven and, using a pastry brush, brush all over with egg wash.
6. Return tart shell to oven and bake for 5 more minutes. Remove from oven and set aside while you make the ganache filling.

For the Chocolate Ganache Filling:

1. Boil cream, then pour over chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl. Let stand 5 minutes then stir until smooth. Let cool until no longer warm to the touch.
2. Whisk together the eggs, vanilla, and salt in a separate bowl then stir into the chocolate mixture until smooth.
3. Pour filling into the tart shell. Bake until filling is set around the edges but still just a bit wobbly in the middle, about 20 minutes. Cover the crust with foil if it starts to get too dark. Cool completely (about an hour) on a rack.

For the Whipped Cream Topping:

1. In a small heatproof bowl, combine the water and gelatin and let sit for 5 minutes.
2. Heat the bowl in the microwave for 5 second increments until the gelatin has dissolved. Do not allow it to set, move directly on to the next step.
3. In a cold bowl, with a cold whisk attachment, with the mixer on high, beat the cream and powdered sugar until slightly thickened.
4. Reduce the mixer speed to low and slowly pour in the gelatin mixture. Then whip at high speed until stiff peaks form.

To Assemble the Tart:

1. Cover the cooled tart with the strained jam (it should be just warm enough to spread easily, but not warm enough to melt the chocolate.). Chill in the refrigerator until firm, about an hour.
2. Cover the chilled tart with the whipped cream topping, getting it as smooth as possible (I use an offset spatula.)
3. Dust the top of the tart with cocoa powder (I use a little powdered sugar duster, but sprinkling it with your fingers from about a foot above the tart will also do the trick.). Arrange fresh currants on top. Return to fridge (loosely covered) until about 30 minutes before serving.

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