Tuesday, March 16, 2010

{TWD} Soft Chocolate Blackberry Tarts


The overwhelming majority of Dorie Greenspan recipes that I've tried have been very good, but her tart recipes have been particularly outstanding. I'm always very excited the weeks when a tart assignment comes up in the Tuesdays With Dorie baking group, and a two-tart month like March is an unprecedented special thrill!

n.o.e.'s notes:

- Rachelle of Mommy? I’m Hungry! chose this tart for us to bake this week. You can find the recipe on her blog, or on page 354 of the book Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan.

- I used the same batch of gluten-free nut crust for this tart that I used for the Coconut Custard Tart from two weeks ago. I made the recipes back-to-back, making minis of both, and I still have a 7" tart crust in the freezer for another occasion.

- The recipe calls for raspberries, but Dorie says that other berries work nicely also. I've tasted chocolate and raspberry flavors together plenty of times, so this time I decided to try blackberries because I was curious to see how they'd combine with chocolate (and because I love blackberries!)


- There are two kinds of chocolate in this recipe: milk chocolate and bittersweet chocolate. Dorie says the interplay of the two chocolate intensities is what makes this tart so good. I used Valrhona milk chocolate fevres, and a small block of Valrhona bittersweet chocolate. In the pictures you can see the two chocolates, the berries, and the nut crust.

- I made 1/3 recipe, which I was hoping would yield 3 mini tarts. I lined 3 baked tart crusts with blackberries, but there really was only enough filling for two, so my berry-to-chocolate ratio was only 2/3 of what it should have been.

- My tarts were in my oven at 280 degrees on "convect bake" for 18 minutes when I checked them and found them done (if not just a tad over-baked.) I was expecting the tart filling to be pudding-like in consistency, but mine looked a lot more like soft brownies.

- I served the tarts with soft whipped cream. My daughter was visiting home the weekend I baked them, and she had one for dessert after dinner Saturday and the other one for breakfast on her way to the airport the next morning. Both times were dark, so I'm sorry to say I didn't get decent pictures of the tarts before they were history. I had a bite of each of her tarts (quality control check, of course!)


the verdict:

The unusual taste combination of chocolate and blackberry was a wonderful find! I don't always love the fruit and chocolate combination, but I even wished that I'd put more blackberries in these tarts. I was also happy to find that the chocolate and berry flavors were strong enough to match well with the walnut/pecan crust.

29 comments:

Rachelle S said...

Thanks for baking along with me this week! I love how you adapted the crust to be gluten free. I was curious about the blackberries too, glad to hear it was a hit!

mike said...

Nice to hear that chocolate and blackberries play nice together.... they sure look like a pair. And a nice-looking crust as well (amazing how they stay together without AP flour)! Glad you enjoyed another TWD tart recipe!

Tia said...

ooh delish flavors! blackberries are a fave of mine

Soy*Baby said...

I used blackberries too and it was delicious. Glad to hear that your daughter enjoyed them. Beautiful tarts.

Valerie Harrison (bellini) said...

I can't wait for blackberry season!!!

Cristine said...

Blackberries sound wonderful. Your tart looks great!

Hindy said...

A gluten-free crust! I've been looking for one to use at Passover. Thanks for this timely tip.
I also love blackberries and imagine this tasted awesome.

Di said...

Mmm, blackberries sound delicious. I'll have to remember that for next time. =)

natalia said...

How wonderful !!! I didn't find any fresh berry aside the forbidden strawberries so meybe in the late spring ?...

CB said...

I got dizzy reading your post about 1/3 this and 2/3 that. 'Fess up! Were you a math teacher in a former life? ;) I bet the blackberries+chocolate were yummy. I think I'll have to try that flavor combo next time I make mine. Thanks for being my guinea pig. :)
-CB
http://iheartfood4thought.com

Valerie Gamine said...

Great flavour combination! Dorie's tarts are some of the best recipes from the book. :)

Anonymous said...

I've never tried the blackberry/chocolate combo. I'm sure it's delicious.

Maria said...

Love the blackberry choice.

NKP said...

So glad they turned out so well! Sounds delicious!

Nickki said...

I've never tried blackberries with chocolate but it sounds delicious! I love your chocolate crust :-)

Audrey said...

You're inspiring me to try baking with blackberries!

PS I thought of you today when I was in Trader Joe's - they were featuring oatmeal stout! (If memory serves, aren't those two things you bake with, rolled into one?)

Carol Peterman/TableFare said...

Blackberries sound so good! Love your picture with the scattered ingredients.

Unknown said...

Yum, chocolate and blackberries! I really wish raspberries were in season when we made this one because I know the combination would have been amazing. The plain chocolate tart was good but I'll definitely revisit it this summer when berries are in season. Your tarts are lovely Nancy - glad your daughter enjoyed them.

Jules Someone said...

I love blackberries and chocolate. Yum!

Mary Ann said...

This looks so beautiful with the blackberries. I debated buying some, but they were so expensive. I am going to have to go back and try this one when berries are less expensive.
I love how you arranged the berries and the different chocolates. Very beautiful!

miss kate said...

Chocolate and blackberries are yum! I really really like these tart recipes, too--those and the cookies have been turning out quite well. My cakes from this book have been kind of hit-or-miss...

Deb in Hawaii said...

Mmm...chocolate and blackberry tarts sound wonderful. This look delicious!

AmyRuth said...

Great job Nancy..... I love tarts too. They are just Sassy! Do you use Chambord? Nice chocolate collection too! I'm stuck in the world of Callebaut but I live in a smaller town. Do you order online? Anyhow, I'll be making this one again, how about you?
AmyRuth

steph- whisk/spoon said...

love the chocolate bits and berries scattered about the photos! i wasn't exactly sure how to describe the chocolate filling, but saying that it looked like a soft brownie is right on mark.

The Food Librarian said...

Delicious! Blackberries sound perfect with chocolate.

TeaLady said...

I KNEW I should have made this one. And even thot about blackberries, but just didn't feel the love with chocolate.

I love the fact that they were more brownie like than pudding.

They look delicious.

Teanna said...

Mmmm I've never had a chocolate/blackberry combo but this sounds and looks delicious!

Cathy said...

Wow - the texture of your tart really does look soft brownie-ish! Mine was definitely more thickpudding-ish -- so interesting! Your tart looks incredible; definitely the best breakfast I could think of, and one of the best desserts!

Kayte said...

Blackberries sound like an inspired notion to me...love them...I bet I could dream up something with blackberries and lemon for the filling...yep, so thinking that sounds wonderful. The little tarts look very pretty.