Best Chocolate Hazelnut Tart
Submitted by happyzhangbo
Chocolate hazelnut tart sets a glossy, gooey chocolate filling studded with toasted hazelnuts into a tender chocolate pastry crust. A rich, gianduja-style dessert with an optional splash of rum.
YIELD
12 servingsPREP
5 minCOOK
50 minREADY
60 minThis is what happens when a pecan pie goes to finishing school in Italy. A glossy, chocolate-rich filling, set with corn syrup and eggs the way a classic pecan pie is, gets loaded with toasted hazelnuts and poured into a tender chocolate pastry crust. That hazelnut-and-chocolate pairing is pure gianduja.
Toasting the hazelnuts is a step worth its few minutes. Roasting them until the skins loosen lets you rub those bitter, papery skins off in a towel and coaxes out the nuts’ deep, buttery flavor before they ever reach the filling.
A little care with the filling pays off. Melt the chocolate and butter gently over barely-steaming water so the chocolate stays smooth, and when you beat in the eggs, stop the moment it comes together. Overbeating whips in air that can leave the baked filling cracked and foamy instead of dense and fudgy. A splash of rum is optional, but it deepens the chocolate beautifully.
Pro Tips
- Toast and skin the hazelnuts; the skins are bitter, and toasting is what wakes up their flavor.
- Melt the chocolate and butter over hot, not boiling, water and off the heat so it doesn’t seize.
- Don’t overbeat once the eggs go in, or the filling can puff, crack, and turn foamy as it bakes.
Variations
- Swap walnuts or pecans for the hazelnuts, as the recipe itself suggests.
- Add a teaspoon of espresso powder to the filling to intensify the chocolate.
- Serve slices with lightly whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Ingredients
Directions
The already buttery flavor of the hazelnuts pairs them naturally with the chocolate filling.
Walnuts or pecans make good variations.
Mixing the Dough. Sift the dry ingredients together three times.
Rub in the butter and moisten with the egg as for Sweet Pastry Dough.
Shape into a disk, wrap, and refrigerate.
To make the Chocolate-Hazelnut Filling:
Place the hazelnuts on a baking pan and toast at 350℉ (180℃) F until the skins are loose and come off easily, about 10 minutes.
Rub the hazelnuts in a towel to remove the skins.
Chop the hazelnuts coarsely, by hand or with a food processor.
Combine the chocolate with the butter in a small bowl.
Bring a small pan of water to a simmer and turn off the heat.
Place the bowl of chocolate and butter over the hot water and stir to melt.
Combine the corn syrup and sugar in a small saucepan.
Bring to a full rolling boil over medium heat.
Remove from heat and stir in the chocolate mixture.
Beat the eggs and salt with the optional rum.
Beat in the chocolate mixture, taking care not to overbeat.
Assembling.
Lightly flour the work surface and dough.
Roll the dough to a 14-inch diameter disk, ⅛ inch thick.
Line a 10-inch tart pan with the dough, trimming away the excess.
Stir the chipped hazelnuts into the filling and pour the filling into the pan.
Bake at 350℉ (180℃) F until the filling is set and the crust is baked through, about 40 minutes.
Store the tart at room temperature up to 2 days.
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