Valentine’s Day for some reason always means chocolate dessert for me. Whether it’s a molten lava cake or a sachertorte or really any other chocolate dessert. This would be great for this year’s weekday Valentine’s as it is easy to make ahead.
We found this recipe after watching the Food Network and much to my pleasant surprise, this ended up being one of those recipes turns out exactly as you would expect. I might have had to go to two or three different grocery stores to find the ingredients (dried cherries in a pinch are at Trader Joe’s, though I’d recommend buying from nuts.com if you have the time to plan ahead)!
This is a very rich dessert though, so wouldn’t recommend making for a crowd that is looking for lighter desserts. On the other hand, if one of your crowd members is a dedicated chocolate enthusiast (ahem, Matthew) this is a winner!
Also, I might have called this a cake for the 4 days it was around before Matt finished it off, and was reminded multiple times that this is a TART not a CAKE. Not that that in any way diminished from its deliciousness.
Ingredients
Crust:
- 1/2 stick unsalted butter, chilled, cut into 1/2-inch pieces, plus more for greasing pan
- Eight 4 1/2-inch-long plain or almond biscotti cookies, coarsely broken (about 5 1/2 ounces)
- 1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
- 3/4 cup cherry preserves or jam, such as Bonne Maman
Filling:
- 12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips, such as Ghiradelli
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup dried cherries
- 3/4 cup chopped shelled pistachio nuts
- Salt flakes, such as Maldon, optional
For the crust: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter the bottom and sides of a 9-inch springform pan. Combine the biscotti, butter and sugar in a food processor. Blend until the mixture forms moist crumbs that stick together when pressed. Firmly press the crumbs into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake until golden and feels firm to the touch, about 15 minutes. Cool to room temperature, about 20 minutes. Spread the cherry preserves over the cooled crust leaving a 1/2 to 1-inch border.
For the filling: Place the chocolate chips in a medium bowl. Heat the cream in a medium saucepan over medium heat to just below a boil. Remove the pan from the heat and pour the cream over the chocolate chips. Stir until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth. Add the dried cherries and 1/2 cup of the pistachios. Pour the chocolate filling over the cherry preserves and sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup pistachios on top. Refrigerate for at least 5 hours or preferably overnight.
Loosen the tart from the sides of the pan by running a thin metal spatula around the edge. Unmold the tart and transfer to a serving plate. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt flakes, if using. Cut into wedges and serve.
