Chocolate-Almond Tart with Crunch Bar Shell

Sometimes making a tart shell is…. too much. And store-bought pie crust isn’t the same when you know you could do better. Sometimes you need something easy when you want to present your custard or chocolate ganache, but want the elegance of a tart. So I made what was basically an almond crunch bar.

As I’m sure you know, crunch bars are puffed rice chocolate bars. The puffed rice they use isn’t available to me, but cocoa Krispies sure are. Mixing cocoa Krispies with a ton of chocolate makes a mixture you can press into a tart shell for the ultimate crunchy chocolate tart shell without all the fuss. Just make sure to be gentle, you want it packed enough the filling won’t come through but not crushed so much that the cereal loses its puff. Toasted, sliced almonds add extra crunch and add a toasty flavor I appreciate with chocolate.

Chocolate ganache is as rich, luxurious way to deliver chocolate flavor as a filling or icing. Mine is almost always a 2:1 ratio of chocolate to heavy cream. Here, I add an egg yolk, a few drops of vanilla extract, instant coffee, dutch-processed cocoa, and a pinch of salt to bring out as much of the chocolate flavor as I can. A topping of fresh berries and toasted, slivered almonds make for a simple, but elegant garnish.

The Recipe:

For the Shell:

• 1 lb semisweet chocolate, at least 60%

• 4 cups cocoa Krispies

• 3/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted and chopped

For the Ganache:

• 1 lb dark chocolate, at least 60%

• 8 fl. oz. heavy cream

• 1 egg yolk, pasteurized

• 1 pinch of salt

• 4 oz Dutch-processed cocoa powder

• a few drops vanilla extract

• 1/2 tsp instant coffee powder

• 1 tbsp corn syrup

Melt the chocolate for the shell completely, in the microwave or over a double boiler. Stir in the toasted almonds and cereal, until covered completelt. Press into a tart shell or ring mold that had been lines with wax paper and chill completely in the fridge.

Reserve chocolate in a heat proof bowl. In a sauce pan, combine heavy cream, corn syrup, salt, vanilla, and instant coffee and bring to a simmer, stirring the whole time. Pour over the chocolate snd let rest, 60 seconds. Whisk until smooth, and finish with the egg yolk, stirring quickly to combine. Let cool to room temperature and fill tart shell. Top with fresh berries snd more toasted almonds.