Chocolate And Mixed Nut Tart In Cookie Crust Recipes

CHOCOLATE AND MIXED NUT TART

Steps:

• FOR CRUST: Combine flour and sugar in a food processor.
• Add butter and cut in, using on/off turns, until mixture resembles coarse meal.
• Add 2 tablespoons cream and vanilla extract.
• Using on/off turns, blend until moist clumps form, adding more cream by tablespoonful if dough is dry.
• Gather dough together.
• Press dough over bottom and up the sides of an 11-inch diameter tart pan with removable bottom.
• (I used a 9-inch pan with very little crust and filling left over.) (Dough can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill, but let stand at room temperature 30 minutes before filling.) FOR FILLING: Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Combine all toasted nuts in a food processor; chop coarsely, using on/off turns.
• Whisk corn syrup, brown sugar, and melted butter in a large bowl to blend.
• Whisk in eggs and vanilla extract.
• Mix in chocolate chips, then nuts.
• Transfer filing to the prepared crust.
• Bake tart until firmly set in center and top is deep golden brown, about 50 minutes.
• Cool tart in pan on rack 30 minutes.
• Push up pan bottom to release tart.
• Serve warm or at room temperature.

COOKIE NUT CRUST

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the flour and baking soda.
• Add the butter, brown sugar, walnuts and vanilla.
• Blend well.
• Press the mixture, a small amount at a time, into a 9-inch pie plate, building up the sides and fluting the edge.
• Cover the fluting with a strip of aluminum foil to prevent overbowning.

CHOCOLATE COOKIE CRUST

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
• Crumble the cookies into the work bowl of a food processor and process until finely ground. Alternatively, you can put them in a bag and whack them with a rolling pin until finely crushed. Pour the butter into the crumbs and mix (hands are best for this) until the butter is fully incorporated and the texture is that of wet sand. Firmly press the crumbs against the sides of a 9-inch (23-cm) pie pan, then against the bottom of the pan (the underside of a measuring cup works well for smoothing the bottom crust). Chill the crust for at least 15 minutes to help prevent it from crumbling when serving.
• Bake the crust for 10 minutes, or until fragrant. Remove it and allow it to cool before filling.

CASHEW-COCONUT TART IN CHOCOLATE CRUST

Steps:

• For crust:
• Spray 11-inch-diameter tart pan with removable bottom with nonstick spray. Blend flour, sugar, cocoa, and salt in processor 5 seconds. Add butter and blend until moist sandy texture forms. Add 1 1/2 tablespoons ice water and blend until dough comes together. Press dough evenly onto bottom and up sides of prepared pan. Chill crust 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Place crust on baking sheet. Bake crust until dry-looking and slightly puffed, about 18 minutes. Cool crust on rack completely. Maintain oven temperature.
• For filling:
• Bring brown sugar, cream, maple syrup, and ginger to boil in heavy medium saucepan over medium-high heat, whisking gently until sugar dissolves. Attach candy thermometer to side of pan. Adjust heat to maintain low boil; cook until thermometer registers 222°F, whisking occasionally, about 8 minutes. Mix in cashews and coconut. Cool 20 minutes.
• Place chopped chocolate in small microwave-safe bowl. Cook at medium setting in 15-second intervals until soft and beginning to melt. Stir until completely melted and smooth. Brush enough chocolate over inside of crust to coat completely. Freeze crust until chocolate is cold and hard, about 15 minutes (reserve remaining melted chocolate for garnish).
• Pour filling into crust. Place tart on rimmed baking sheet. Bake until filling is beginning to darken on top and is bubbling thickly, about 35 minutes. Transfer tart to rack. Cool completely. Remelt reserved chocolate in microwave. Drizzle chocolate over tart in lacy pattern. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; store at room temperature.)