This tart is perfect for both a coffee lover, and a chocoholic! A chocolate tart crust, with a chocolate mascarpone filling, sprinkled with chopped chocolate covered espresso beans, then topped with dollups of espresso mascarpone cream, and a dusting of cocoa powder. Chocolatey, creamy, crunchy. and DELICIOUS!

CHOCOLATE TART CRUST:

This recipe will make 1 – 9″ tart shell, 2 – 8″ tart shells, or 6 individual 4″ tart shells.

Ingredients:

• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 Tbsp heavy cream
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla
• 1 c all purpose flour
• 1/4 c cocoa powder
• 2/3 c confectioner’s sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 8 Tbsp cold, unsalted butter, cut into 1/2″ cubes (or shred using a cheese grater).

Whisk together the egg yolk, cream and vanilla.  Set aside.

Combine flour, cocoa powder, sugar, and salt in a large mixing bowl.  Stir together.  Add cubed butter, and cut in with a pastry cutter, til you have a coarse mixture.  Pour this into a stand mixer bowl, with a paddle attachment.

Pour the egg mixture over the flour mixture.  Blend on med. using the paddle attachment,  just til the dough comes together.  Turn out onto a cutting board, and form into a 6″ disc, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for about 1 hour.

Now make the tart shell.  Lightly spray your tart pan with cooking spray.  Remove the dough from refrigerator.  Place on a floured surface, and roll out to a 12″ circle – about 1/4″ thick.  Place the dough into each tart pan.  Trim the edges, so they are level with the top of the pan.  Freeze for about 20 min. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place tart on a sheet pan. Line each tart with aluminum foil, and fill with dry beans or other pie weights. This keeps the bottom flat, and prevents the sides from sliding down. Bake for 20 min. Remove from the oven, and take out the foil liner and dry beans. Return tart to the oven for another 5 min.

Cool completely.

CHOCOLATE MASCARPONE FILLING:

Ingredients:

• 6 oz dark chocolate, chopped (semisweet, or bittersweet are good choices, 60% to 72% cacao, depending how you like your chocolate).
• 1/4 c granulated sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/3 c heavy cream
• 8 oz mascarpone cheese

Place chocolate, sugar, vanilla, and salt in a med bowl.

Heat heavy cream til steaming and frothy, but not boiling. Pour over chocolate mixture. Stir til well-blended and smooth. A microwave will work for this – about 30 to 40 seconds on high. If chocolate is not fully melted, you can return the mixture to the microwave for an additional 15 seconds or so.

Add mascarpone cheese to the chocolate mixture, and stir til well-combined.

Pour the chocolate mixture into your tart shell(s). Spread to the edges, then refrigerate til set (about 30 min).

ESPRESSO MASCARPONE CREAM

Ingredients:

• 12 oz mascarpone cheese
• 1 1/2 c heavy cream
• 1/2 c granulated sugar
• 4 tsp. espresso powder
• 1 tsp. pure coffee extract (this is easy to find in the baking aisle, and pretty essential to this dish – you can use water in its place, but the coffee flavor will not be as rich).

Dissolve the espresso powder in the coffee extract. Set aside.

Whip the heavy cream til soft peaks form. Slowly add the sugar, and whip til stiff peaks form. Add the mascarpone cheese, a spoonful at a time. Blend til well- combined and smooth. Add the dissolved espresso powder, and blend again.

Add the espresso cream to a large piping bag, using your favorite tip.

Rough-chop about 1/2 c dark chocolate covered espresso beans. Sprinkle these on the tart, over the chocolate filling.

Pipe on the espresso cream, then using a fine-mesh sieve, dust with cocoa powder.

Refrigerate for up to 3 days.