VENUS' CHOCOLATE MACADAMIA NUT TART

Venus' Chocolate Macadamia Nut Tart image

Creamy chocolate paired with smooth caramel and macadamia nuts over a delicious butter tart shell is the ultimate for a Valentine's Dessert.

Provided by VIVANET

Time 4h

Yield 12

Number Of Ingredients 12

Ingredients

½ cup unsalted butter, softened
¼ cup white sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 ⅛ cups cake flour
7 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
½ cup heavy cream
½ cup white sugar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
¾ teaspoon coffee liqueur
½ cup heavy cream
1 cup macadamia nuts, whole

Steps:

In a large mixing bowl, cream together 1/2 cup softened butter and 1/4 cup sugar until pale, about 3 minutes; beat in egg.
In a separate bowl, mix flour and cocoa powder. Using a wooden spoon, stir the dry ingredients into the creamed mixture and gather the dough into a ball. Flatten the dough into a disk and wrap in waxed paper; refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
On a lightly floured surface, roll out chilled dough into a 10 inch round and about 1/4 inch thickness. Transfer dough to an 8 inch tart pan, pressing dough evenly into pan; prick all over with a fork and freeze for 10 minutes.
Bake tart shell in preheated oven for 12 minutes; transfer to a rack to cool.
To make caramel: In a small saucepan over low heat, bring 1/2 cup heavy cream to a simmer. In a heavy medium saucepan over high heat, gradually add 1/2 cup sugar in small amounts, stirring constantly, until it melts and turns golden brown. Remove saucepan from heat and slowly stir in hot cream; stir in 2 tablespoons butter and allow mixture to cool.
To make chocolate cream: In a medium bowl, combine semisweet chocolate and liqueur. In a small saucepan over high heat, bring remaining 1/2 cup heavy cream to a boil and pour it over chocolate; stir mixture with a wooden spoon until chocolate is melted and very smooth.
Reserve 13 whole macadamia nuts and chop the rest. Pour cooled caramel into the cooled tart shell and spread evenly with a metal spatula; sprinkle chopped nuts over caramel. Pour chocolate cream on top and spread evenly.
Arrange 10 whole nuts around the edge of the tart to mark 10 slices; place remaining 3 nuts in the center. Refrigerate the tart for 1 hour or until firm; serve.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 377.7 calories, Carbohydrate 30.5 g, Cholesterol 68.1 mg, Fat 28.6 g, Fiber 2.7 g, Protein 4.1 g, SaturatedFat 13.6 g, Sodium 16.1 mg, Sugar 16.8 g