Dark Chocolate Pistachio Tart (Printer-friendly)
Silky dark chocolate ganache in a crunchy pistachio crust — an elegant French dessert.
# What you'll need:
→ Pistachio Crust
01 - 4.2 oz shelled unsalted pistachios
02 - 1 cup all-purpose flour
03 - 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
04 - 1/4 teaspoon salt
05 - 3 oz unsalted butter, cold and cubed
06 - 1 large egg yolk
→ Dark Chocolate Ganache Filling
07 - 7 oz dark chocolate (60–70% cocoa), chopped
08 - 3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon heavy cream
09 - 1 oz unsalted butter, diced
10 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
→ Decoration
11 - 2 tablespoons chopped pistachios
12 - Flaky sea salt, to taste
# Method:
01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Position rack in the center of the oven.
02 - Place shelled pistachios in a food processor and pulse until finely ground, being careful not to over-process into a paste.
03 - Add flour, sugar, and salt to the ground pistachios. Pulse several times until evenly combined.
04 - Add cold cubed butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with some pea-sized pieces remaining.
05 - Add egg yolk and pulse until the dough just begins to come together when pressed between your fingers.
06 - Press dough evenly into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch tart pan with a removable base. Ensure an even thickness throughout.
07 - Refrigerate the shaped crust for 20 minutes to firm the butter and prevent shrinking during baking.
08 - Prick the chilled crust several times with a fork. Bake for 13 to 15 minutes until lightly golden. Allow to cool completely in the pan on a wire rack.
09 - Pour heavy cream into a small saucepan and heat over medium until it just begins to simmer around the edges. Do not boil.
10 - Place chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and let sit undisturbed for 2 minutes.
11 - Add diced butter and vanilla extract. Stir gently from the center outward until the ganache is smooth, glossy, and homogeneous.
12 - Pour the ganache into the cooled tart shell. Smooth the surface evenly with an offset spatula.
13 - Refrigerate for at least 3 hours or until the ganache is firmly set and no longer jiggles when gently shaken.
14 - Sprinkle chopped pistachios and flaky sea salt over the top just before serving. Slice with a warm knife for clean edges.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- The pistachio crust tastes like something you would find in a Parisian bakery window but it comes together in a food processor with almost no effort.
- The ganache sets into this impossibly silky slab that cracks softly when you cut it and melts the second it hits your tongue.
02 -
- If you overwork the pistachio dough it will turn greasy and tough instead of tender and crumbly, so stop pulsing the moment it comes together.
- Letting the ganache sit undisturbed for those two minutes before stirring is the secret to a smooth, emulsified filling with no grainy chocolate bits.
03 -
- Toast the pistachios in a dry pan for three to four minutes before making the crust because the heat draws out their oils and deepens the flavor enormously.
- Do not stir the ganache vigorously or you will incorporate air bubbles that show up as unattractive pits on the surface once it sets.