Tuesday, December 22, 2015

Chocolate Chestnut Tart - Baking Chez Moi

Per Nana ~
This is an incredible dessert and so decadent.  
I thought the best part was the syrup made from sugar and vanilla bean, 
added to the chestnuts.  The chocolate ganache came together beautifully 
and when it was added to the tart, looked fantastic.  Because it is so rich in 
flavor, I only served small portions and did not serve ice cream with it. I also
 didn't have any :) And the leftover syrup I have saved for another time. 
I chilled the remaining tart and found that the next day it tasted just
 like fudge with a crust. I loved it and just cut small portions. This 
is definitely a recipe I will make again, it is so impressive. 
Per Tricia ~
We knew the family would love this one because Nana sent
 over a portion of hers ahead of time. So I had to deliver on 
this one because of course, the family wanted more :) 
That said, the unsuspecting and not too complicated recipe got a 
disproportionate share of grumbling from me simply because it's the 
busy holiday season and I had lots of wonderful competition for my 
time- which did not include roasting and peeling chestnuts. 
Internet lies...that new technique of blanching & cutting a single line (not X) before roasting only added to the time lost.
I should have known better and bought a pricey jar of the ready to go 
version, but I got caught up in the cozy holiday illusion of how fun it 
would be to do these myself. That ship has sailed and took with it the 
immediate thought of making those stained glass cookies we are to 
also knock out this month too (we'll see about that one.....)
Vanilla specks in the syrup makes these chestnuts on the tart bottom delicious.
That said, the final version truly was a "company worthy" little dessert. 
My complaints are unjustified considering last year I was staring down a 
gingerbread Buche de Noel.  Great coordination and planning makes a big 
difference in this recipe, since it relies on a few different processes/steps to
 create the final product. Making the tart crust ahead of time, roasting and 
shelling the chestnuts, and then prepping the syrup too -  so that the vanilla 
chestnut combo (which takes about 45 minutes to cook down) doesn't 
blindside you - would all have made a big difference in my knocking this out.
  Truthfully we are simply not that HUGE of chestnut fans for me 
to likely be making this one again, but that is no reflection on the recipe. 
 I was happy to try it this once and the family is certainly 
enjoying round two after tasting Nana's :)   

 Happiest of Holidays to All ~

This marks another Tuesday recipe testing as we cook along with the "Tuesdays with Dorie" online group.  Please note that we do not post the recipes, per the group rules, but we do encourage others to RUN out and buy their own copy of Dorie Greenspan's "Baking Chez Moi".  Better yet, buy the book and JOIN THE GROUP ! www.TuesdaysWithDorie.wordpress.com

6 comments:

  1. Nana we loved this one too and it was good the next day too. Tricia kudos to you for roasting your own chestnuts, extra points for you. Merry Christmas to you both.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Ladies, both of your tarts are gorgeous. I thought this recipe was fab and did not mind the richness at all. Happy holidays!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I would make this again but use way less chestnuts (they are so rich) but I loved learning the ganache - I will definitely be using that again! Merru Christmas to you both xxx

    ReplyDelete
  4. Happy holidays to both of you! Two great tarts-that candy-syrup stuff really is delicious. And Tricia, I'm so impressed that you roasted your own chestnuts (even if it was a lot of work)...I've never done that myself.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Chocolate fudge with a crust - that sounds delicious! Both tarts look beautiful. I hope you had a lovely Christmas and wish you both a very Happy New Year.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Oh, your tarts, they both look incredible! I so want to make this again now, just so I can have my turn out as perfectly. I bet they were a smash hit!

    ReplyDelete