One
of the most memorable interactions I had in Taiwan was with a lady who sold
aboriginal beads and helped tell one’s fortune based on a customer’s selection
of the beads. Say what you will about the inaccuracies / mumbo jumbo of fortune
telling, I’ve always been intrigued by the mystery behind the art of fortune
telling and was struck by how accurate my ‘fortune’ was, just from a simple
selection of craft beads OR me telling her anything about my life.
One of my worst and best
traits, she said, was the inability to let go of loved ones, even when others
have moved on. It really struck home this week, when I cried pitifully in bed
last night over a lingering unrequited love.
It’s blatantly obvious that I’m useless at letting go and YES, a perfect
example of sad cliché of a girl who knows what’s right but still does the
stupid thing and pines for what she can’t ever have. Sigh, at least that’s one
thing the OLD Taylor Swift and I used to have in common. DAMN YOU TAYLOR FOR
LANDING CALVIN HARRIS!! DAMN YOU FOR BEING SO CUTE (and blonde!!) TOGETHER I
CANNOT EVEN BEGRUDGE YOUR HAPPINESS!!
This tart is a fitting
comfort food, a silky (yet not too sweet) fudge filling dotted with toasted
hazelnuts and encased in a buttery shortbread crust. Crusts are my Achilles’
heel, but this recipe from Alice Medrich is foolproof – mix, press and bake!
The end result is buttery and crunchy! The filling is a cross between a brownie
and a mousse, a fudge like consistency that melts in your mouth. I added nuts for some textural
balance, but remember to toast your nuts for an added earthiness. This recipe is definitely a keeper, and a must-serve for dinner party crowds you'd want to impress.
Kahlua Fudge Nut Tart (Makes 6 4 inch round tartlets)
For
the crust (Adapted slightly from here)
7 tablespoons (100
grams) unsalted butter, melted
¼ cup (50 grams) sugar
⅛ teaspoon salt
¾ teaspoon pure vanilla
extract
1 cup (130 grams)
all-purpose flour
1. To make the tart crust: Mix the
butter, sugar, salt, and vanilla in a medium bowl. Add the flour and mix just
until well blended. Don’t worry if the dough seems too soft. Press all of the
dough very thinly and evenly into the bottom and up the sides of the tart pan.
Prick the tart dough with a fork.
2. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes at 180F, or
until the crust is a deep golden brown and let cool.
For the filling (Adapted slightly from here)
30g
semisweet chocolate (preferably Valrhona), chopped
115g
unsalted butter, cut into 2-inch pieces
1/4 cup
natural dark cocoa powder (preferably Valrhona)
1 teaspoon
espresso powder
1/2 cups
sugar
1 1/2
tablespoons honey
2
tablespoons cream
2 eggs, at
room temperature
1 egg yolk,
at room temperature
2 tablespoons
Kahlua (Bourbon or rum would be good too)
1/2 teaspoon
vanilla bean paste or pure vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon
kosher salt
½ cup
toasted hazelnuts
1. Preheat oven to 160 C
2. In a large heatproof bowl, melt the
chocolate and butter over simmering water.
3. Remove the bowl from the heat, add the
cocoa and espresso powder, and whisk until blended. Add the sugar, honey, and
cream and whisk until blended. Add the eggs, egg yolk, Kahlua, vanilla, and
salt and whisk just until blended. Pour into the baked tart shell.
4. Bake for 20 minutes in precooled
crusts, or until the edges are slightly puffed and the center of the filling
jiggles slightly when the pan is gently shaken. Transfer the pan to a wire rack
and let cool completely. Cover and refrigerate overnight, or for up to 3 days.
Baker’s Notes
1.Use the best kind of bittersweet
chocolate you have on hand, the chocolate filling will reflect the richness of
your choice.
2.The original recipe calls for bourbon
instead of Kahlua, but I used what I had on hand.
3.The sugar content has already been
reduced to suit my interpretation of ‘Asian’ sweetness level, so reduce it
further at your own risk!
