MAKES ONE 9-INCH TART
Another delicious variation on a decadent theme, this is a rich but simple dessert. I especially like it late at night with a cup of Lapsang tea.
The web of fine chocolate lines that Amy pipes over the top is very easy to make, but if you feel at all shy, just drizzle the chocolate from the edge of a spoon. The result will look a bit like a Jackson Pollock painting, just fine to a modern eye.
If you are looking for a cool accompaniment, try a scoop of ginger, lemon, or mango ice cream (pages 487, 490, and 491, respectively).
2 ounces semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 ounce unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
Prebaked Tart Shell (page 463), partially baked
2 cups (7 ounces) walnut halves and pieces, toasted
2 tablespoons dark molasses
¾ cup light corn syrup
¼ cup packed dark brown sugar
3 extra-large eggs
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Confectioners’ sugar, for garnish
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Move a rack to the middle position.
2. In the top of a double boiler over hot, not simmering, water, melt the semisweet and unsweetened chocolates until smooth. Spread ¼ cup of the melted chocolate evenly over the bottom of the tart shell. Reserve the remaining chocolate for decorating the tart. Scatter the walnuts over the chocolate in the bottom of the tart shell.
3. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the molasses, corn syrup, brown sugar, eggs, lemon zest, and melted butter until smooth and well blended. Pour the mixture into the tart shell, filling it almost to the rim and taking care not to let the syrup overflow.
4. Bake the tart until the filling is set yet still soft to the touch, 35 to 40 minutes. Remove to a rack to cool.
5. Remelt the reserved chocolate, if necessary. Pour the chocolate into a small parchment paper cone. Cut off the tip to make a tiny opening and hold the parchment cone about 1 inch above the tart. Using quick motions, pipe a succession of broken lines of chocolate over the tart. Or, drizzle the liquid chocolate from the edge of a spoon.
6. Serve the tart warm or cool. Just before serving, dust the edge of the tart with confectioners’ sugar.
Serving a tart freshly baked and still warm from the oven is the ultimate seduction. Most tarts hold their heat remarkably well, meaning that a tart finished an hour or more before dinner can still be warm when it’s served. Rewarming tarts is a tricky business; some will get doughy (if they’re topped with streusel) while others can get inappropriately runny or soft. So if your passion is for hot, you’d best experiment in private!