Tuesdays with Dorie: Chocolate Ice Cream Tart

May 25, 2010


Hi. First of all, Lost. I'm not sure what to think. The ending was amazing but upsetting all at the same time. I'm still confused about some things but maybe it wouldn't be Lost if it didn't leave a few loose ends, even in the finale. This could easily turn into a huge spiel, so I'll leave it at that.

I would also like to apologize for my blog going all Sybil the last few days. I'm trying to find the perfect picture to use as a header, I just can't decide which direction want to go in. I want it to be universally appealing and memorable. A lot of the photos that I like are so detailed that the title is lost and I'm forced to squeeze it into a sneeze-strewn random spot. Green is my favourite colour but I don't want something too 'leafy' since that has nothing to do with a dessert blog. But should that even be a factor? Green is a personal preference and a blog should have a personal touch. I'm also torn on the black and white issue. I love black and white photos but I think that anything with food involved should have some colour. Then there is the issue of using something abstract or going for a more tangible subject. And which font looks best? Almost all the fonts I like are written in cursive so the words look like a poorly written Rastafarian song, 'Une Jamine dans la Fusine.' My blog title is baffling enough as it is. So please bear with me until I figure all this out. Maybe I just have a fear of commitment? And this did turn into a spiel after all, sorry. An in depth 'Lost' dissection would have been more interesting. ;)


I made the wrong Tuesdays with Dorie recipe, Again. This is supposed to be a banana coconut ice cream pie. I just glanced at the May recipes when they were first posted. All I saw were the words 'ice cream,' and 'pie'...well, a tart is pie's cousin and ice cream is what it is. I can't come up with a valid excuse. June's lineup will be carefully written out, studied, and bookmarked.

One more bit of eye-rolling information. I have no idea how this tart tasted. It was made for someone I barely knew who needed something for a last minute dinner party. But the reports were all positive! And really, how could this not be spectacular? The walnut/brown sugar crust is covered with a layer of melted dark chocolate. I used the chocolate ganache ice cream recipe for the filling and drizzled more melted chocolate over the top. The more I write about it, the more envious I am of the people who were able to eat it.

Please visit Spike, of Spike Bakes, for the banana coconut ice cream pie recipe. I'm so sorry that I missed this one, Spike. As punishment, I had to write out this long recipe. Which is not very easy since Dorie's book is so large and my desk is so small. On a side note, I love that your blog makes me think of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.


Chocolate Ice Cream Tart
(recipe adapted from Dorie Greenspan's Baking:From My Home to Yours)
*printer friendly Recipe*

Crust ingredients
1 cup (4 oz.) toasted slivered almonds (or sliced blanched almonds)
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup (packed) light brown sugar
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
pinch of salt
1/2 stick (4 Tbsp.) cold unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
1 large egg
1/2 tsp. almond extract
2 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped

For the filling:
1 cup (4 oz.) toasted slivered almonds (or sliced blanched almonds)
1 quart good-quality coffee ice cream (I used this recipe, for chocolate ganache ice cream)
1/2 tsp. almond extract or 1 Tbsp. amaretto
pinch of nutmeg

2 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped, for decoration

To make the crust: Lightly butter a 10- or 11-inch fluted tart pan and line a baking sheet with parchment or a silicone mat (Judy skipped this step.)

Put the almonds, flour, sugar, nutmeg, and salt in a food processor and pulse for about 10 seconds, or until the nuts are coarsely chopped. Toss in the pieces of butter and pulse until the dough resembles coarse meal. Add the egg and extract and continue to pulse until the dough forms clumps and large curds, about 10 seconds. Turn the dough out into the tart pan and wipe out the processor. (You'll use it for the filling.)

Press the dough evenly over the bottom and up the sides of the tart pan. Freeze for 30 minutes. (if you'd like once the dough is frozen, you can wrap the tart pan and keep it in the freezer for up to 2 months.)

Baking: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Butter a piece of aluminum foil and press it, buttered side down, snugly into the tart pan; put the tart pan on the baking sheet. Bake the shell for 20 minute, then remove the foil. If the crust has puffed, press it down with the back of a fork. Bake the crust for another 8 minutes or so, until it is firm and golden. Transfer to a cooling rack.


Scatter the chopped chocolate over the bottom of the hot crust and use a small spatula to spread it even. Cool the crust to room temperature.


To Make the Filling: Put the almonds in the processor and pulse and process until they form a paste, a minute or two. (They never formed a paste for me). Add the ice cream, extract or amaretto and the nutmeg and pulse the machine on and off in quick spurts until the ingredients are just blended -- don't process so long that the ice cream melts. Scrape the ice cream into the tart shell and smooth the top. Put the tart in the freezer for at least 30 minutes.


To decorate: Melt the chocolate in the microwave or in a bowl over a pan of hot water. You may put the melted chocolate in a small piping bag fitted with a small plain tip or simple dip a fork in the chocolate (which I did) and drizzle abstract patterns over the top of the tart.

Slide the tart back into the freezer for about 5 minutes to set the chocolate, then cover and freeze for at least 4 hours ( I know, it's a very long process.)

22 comments:

  1. Hey Valerie, I thought you just liked to change your headers. Some people do that almost weekly. I understand your dilemma though-it's hard to decide.
    This looks delicious even if it isn't what you were supposed to make. By the way, I'm trying to develop a vegan version of your last cookie post. Cuz they look good...!
    p.s.-the new profile pic is cute.

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  2. Well I haven't seen the other headers, but I kinda like this one. It feels French and so goes well with your title I think...

    Tart looks yummy as well, although not sure if I would have the patience to wait that long to eat it!

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  3. You are so funny, Valerie! Who cares if you missed the correct TWD? This one is DIVINE!

    I know what you are going through with headers. I would love to find one I could use forever. I am not an artist, nor am I very good at photography (even if I had a good idea). So I keep looking and thinking......

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  4. You get to have all the fun, cause now you have an excuse to make even more ice cream! This looks fantastic! I love the new photo--it does go with your blog name. I would keep it in the large font though, as I really had to squint to see the tiny one above it!

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  5. great pie dish and presentation! I did a twd rewind...lenox biscotti... b/c bananas/coconut are not my thing :)

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  6. Your ice cream dessert looks lovely- who cares if it wasn't the one the rest of us did?! ps- my spike nickname comes from buffy! you have to pronouce it like drusilla spoike...

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  7. Ciao ! I like this header but I don't know about the others... I understand it is hard to choose !

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  8. I love your header photo, Valerie!!! Makes me feel like Mary Poppins bobbing over the rooftops. :-) The tart sounds fabulous - even if it is the wrong recipe. :-) So glad I'm not the only distracted one these days!

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  9. I've been enjoying the new photos. The old one was great, but the new ones have been cute too. And I think your blog has the best title! (Although the rastafarian version works for me too...)

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  10. Spike, I mean Spoike, That's brilliant! I'll be sure to use that pronunciation in my head from now on.

    Thank you, Natalia, Krista, and Beth. I think I have it narrowed down to 3...or 5.

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  11. I love the topping..very nice looking tart!

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  12. I'm in love with your tart! I love the chocolate ganache ice cream as you do. If you didn't get any, you must make it again so you can enjoy it!

    I like your ideas for the blog. If you like green, maybe a backdrop of herbs? And if most of the blog is black and white, the color food photos will really pop.

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  13. too bad you didn't get to taste this "alternate" recipe, but i bet it was good! i think this b&w header photo is lovely...and i could go on for hours about Lost, too...

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  14. Hi Valerie!

    Stopping by to let you know I gave you an award on my blog.
    http://sallyanniemagundy.blogspot.com/2010/05/guess-who-came-for-lunch-and-award.html

    Thank you so much for your kind words about my father-in-law. I still haven't heard anything yet today. :(

    Oh gosh, does that look ice cream tart look yummy! And I so want to make your World Peace cookies.

    Chocolate, I love you so. :)

    Happy Tuesday to you!
    Sally

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  15. Your pie looks gorgeous! I like the idea a b&w photo, but maybe one more food oriented.

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  16. Leslie, I like the herb idea. More to think about...:)

    Clivia, Thanks. I think you are right. I just seem to be on a landscape kick lately.

    Steph, I'm afraid to even listen in on any Lost debates. That ending is going to be scrutinized for a long time. I kind of want to let it be, even though I don't have a clear idea as to what really happened.

    Sally, Thank you so much!

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  17. The tart looks so heavenly, I've always loved your blog through all the changes so no matter what you decide on it'll be great, and I was at first disappointed in the ending and then realized how brilliant the writers were. All the little religious symbols left unanswered along with myriad other details -- it's ok. It's the characters that carried the show from the beginning -- brilliant casting -- and the ending belonged to them. There are tons of theories on the internet about what's what. How else could the writers have generated such a buzz?

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  18. The tart looks very elegant. I like the new header, it's clean and bight. It is your personal space, it should most definitely please you.
    Mimi

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  19. Wrong or not, it sure look perfect to me.

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  20. That tart is awesome! Something that'd be much appreciated at my place.

    Cheers,

    Rosa

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Thanks for visiting, and for taking the time to read through my ramblings!
If you have a recipe comment or question, I'd love to hear from you.

Happy Baking!
♥ Valerie

 

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