Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Reflections



There are times when I really wish I was fluent in a second language.  For work, and life in Texas in general, Spanish would be the obvious choice.  Through listening to some of my Spanish-speaking bankers, I've gotten to the point where I can at least understand some very basic banking terms.  Through Gillian's fascination with Dora (and some faint memories of my one semester of Spanish in junior high), I know some numbers and colors and a few other words.  But that's about it.  Spanish just didn't appeal to me early on.  So instead, I took four years of French in high school, and another year in college.  I've never been that good at speaking it, though.  My shyness and lack of self-confidence worked against me there.  I have a really hard time opening my mouth unless I'm certain I know what I'm talking about.  Not the best approach for learning to speak a foreign language.

While I wasn't that good at speaking, I could read and write somewhat competently.  I've lost a lot of that now, since it's been....umm....over 20 years since I actively studied it... Eek.  But some of it's starting to come back to me, since some of my blogging friends post in French, and it's fun to try to read their posts before resorting to a translation.  And of course, French is used so much in cooking and baking.  This week's Tuesdays with Dorie recipe is a good example.  Dharmagirl of bliss: towards a delicious life picked Tarte Noire for us to make this week.  Noire, meaning black, refers to the dark color of this elegant chocolate tart.  


It wasn't until I was talking with Nancy on Twitter that I realized that this tart recipe is quite similar to the Chocolate-Crunched Caramel Tart that we made last fall.  It's just the ganache layer and crust, without any other distractions.  Because of that, Dorie recommends using your favorite chocolate, since it will really stand out.  I went with Scharffen Berger 62%, which I really enjoy eating plain (and I can get the 6oz packages for $4.50 at my grocery store, so the price isn't as outrageous as it could be).  The filling is simple to make--cream, chocolate, and softened butter.  

For the crust, I went out on my own.  I've made Dorie's Sweet Tart Crust a number of times, and like it.  But I couldn't resist making this tart with my new favorite crust.  It's the one that Alice Medrich uses for most of the tarts in Pure Dessert, including the Lebni Tart I made recently.  The recipe uses melted butter and the dough is simply pressed into the tart pan and baked, no fussing with chilling or pulling out the food processor.  And it tastes fabulous.  Once the tart crust was baked and cooled, I filled it with the ganache.  I actually didn't refrigerate it at all, but the filling set up nicely at room temperature.


The verdict?  Yum.  This tart didn't last long around here.  Unlike the chocolate caramel version, it was eagerly devoured by all the members of our household, since it didn't have nuts.  In fact, I've already been asked by Brianna when I'm going to make it again. =)  The great thing is, it's so easy to make, it probably will make an appearance again soon.  It looks so elegant--I love the shiny surface of the tart.  This would make an simple yet impressive dessert for guests (if I can find any willing to brave the mess that is my home).  

Want to try this tart for yourself?  Head on over to dharmagirl's blog for the recipe.  The tart crust I used can be found in this recipe for Alice Medrich's Lebni Tart.  To see what everyone else did this week, check out the TWD Leave Your Links page for this week.  


20 comments:

  1. Di, What beautiful photos. That little black tart cleans up nicely, huh? I loved the sheen too. I am so glad your family enjoyed it. That is always such fun. Very nicely done. I am going to look up the recipe for your shell. Sounds Very Interesting.
    AmyRuth

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  2. You could ice skate across that ganache! Wow - so super smooth.... very impressive. That tart shell looks impressive and interesting too (I'll have to give that one a try). I took german in high school so neither spanish or french make any sense to me (nor does german, for that matter). Wait... bon appetit!

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  3. Your tart looks absolutely wonderful. And great idea of putting it in a rectangular tart pan. Mine was also gone in an instant.

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  4. I think that rectangular tarts are just so interesting-and yours is stunning!

    Beautiful job!!!!

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  5. Gorgeous tart! That long tart shell is so elegant.

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  6. that is a beautiful tart!! Such a wonderful creamy chocolate dream! I can see why everyone loved it!
    thanks for sharing!
    Dennis

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  8. Holy cow your ganache is crazy smooth! Awesome job! I love the rectangular tart pan.

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  9. Your tart looks so beautiful! I love the rectangular-shaped pan!

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  10. This looks great - your ganache looks so thick and firmly smooth! Nice.

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  11. Di that is one of the most elegant tarts I have seen anywhere. Love the long rectangle. I'm running so behind. I cant wait to make this. It just looks so rich!

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  12. I thnk I might have to let me ganache set at room temp next time. It looks SOOOOO smooth!! I'll have to give that tart dough a try as well :)

    I took two years of french and I really miss it :(

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  13. the cross section shots of the tarts are gorgeous!!! Yours did set really nicely. Well done.

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  14. I love how this looks in your rectangular tart pan! Your ganache is so silky smooth that I want to make mine again and NOT TOUCH IT once it's in the pan.

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  15. THAT is beautiful. This was excellent, wasn't it? Definitely a repeat. And next time - full recipe.

    Love that long tart.

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  16. I had a similar experience with languages, Di . . . except when I tried to take Spanish in college, I kept answering the professor in French. Finally I had to just give up and return to it! =) That tart is absolutely gorgeous. I would like to eat some *right now*! =)

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  17. Pan envy over that tart pan...makes it all look so elegant and special. Looks like one could skate on the top of that last photo...how fun would that be!!!

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  18. Great job! It looks beautiful. The chocolate is so shiny.

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  19. a gorgeous tart, di. i'm so glad your family loved. i did too. thanks for posting the link to medrich's crust--i'm going to try that next time. thanks for baking with me:)

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  20. I know I've said this before, but I am totally wanting that rectangle tart pan. :o) I didn't get to bake this one, but I do have the crust in the freezer...waiting to be used. It looks impossibly delicious.

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