CHOCOLATE TRUFFLE LINZER HEART

Chocolate Truffle Linzer Heart image

Categories Cake Milk/Cream Food Processor Chocolate Dessert Bake Valentine's Day Raspberry Winter Chill Hazelnut Bon Appétit Vegetarian Pescatarian Peanut Free Soy Free Kosher

Yield Serves 10

Number Of Ingredients 21

Ingredients

Crust
1 cup hazelnuts (about 5 ounces), toasted
2/3 cup sugar
1 1/4 cups sifted all purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 ounce cream cheese, cut into small pieces, frozen
1 large egg, beaten to blend
1/2 ounce bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 egg white, beaten to blend
1/3 cup seedless raspberry jam
Filling
9 ounces bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, chopped
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
3 tablespoons whipping cream
1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons seedless raspberry jam
1 1/2-pint basket raspberries
Lightly sweetened whipped cream

Steps:

For crust:
Position rack in lowest third of oven. Set cookie sheet on rack and preheat to 375°F. Remove bottom from 10 1/2x9 1/2-inch heart-shape tart pan with 1-inch-high sides and removable bottom. Place bottom on parchment and trace heart shape.
Finely chop nuts with sugar in processor. Add flour, cinnamon, salt, cloves and ginger. Process just to blend. Add butter and cream cheese to processor. Process until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add 1 egg and chocolate. Process, using on/off turns, until large moist clumps form.
To form top crust, transfer 1 1/3 cups dough to pastry bag fitted with no. 4 (3/8-inch diameter) plain tip. Refrigerate remaining dough. Pipe 7 parallel diagonal lines about 3/4 inch apart across heart outline on parchment. Pipe border around edge of heart inside traced line, touching ends of diagonal lines (some dough may be left over in pastry bag). Freeze 10 minutes. Brush dough with some egg white. Slide parchment with heart onto heated cookie sheet and bake until crust is golden and edges are beginning to brown, about 15 minutes. Run long thin spatula between crust and parchment to loosen crust. Slide parchment with heart-shape crust onto rack and cool completely. Maintain oven temperature.
Return removable bottom to heart pan. Press remaining dough onto bottom and 3/4 inch up sides of pan, using plastic wrap if necessary to prevent dough from sticking to hands. Freeze until dough is firm, about 10 minutes. Brush lightly with egg white. Set pan on heated cookie sheet and bake until crust is golden brown and sides are beginning to pull away from pan, about 23 minutes. Spread bottom crust evenly with 1/3 cup jam. Bake 3 more minutes. Cool crust completely on rack.
For filling:
Stir chocolate, butter and cream in heavy medium saucepan over medium-low heat until chocolate and butter are melted and mixture is smooth. Mix in 2 tablespoon jam. Cool slightly. Pour filling evenly into bottom crust; smooth top. Chill until filling is firm, about 30 minutes.
Spread remaining 1/3 cup jam over filling and outer edge of bottom crust. Carefully place cooled heart-shape top crust atop jam. Press gently to seal. Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight. (Can be prepared 2 days ahead.)
Remove torte from pan. Transfer to platter. Let stand at room temperature 45 minutes. Arrange raspberries in row in first space between crust lines. Spoon whipped cream into pastry bag fitted with small star tip. Pipe row of small rosettes in second space between crust lines. Continue, alternating rows of raspberries and whipped cream rosettes between crust lines.