A rich chocolate dulce de leche tart from none other than David Lebovitz. This is a perfect special occasion dessert.
Yesterday marked my 10 year wedding anniversary. A lot has happened in that decade: 2 kids, 2 houses, and plenty of adventure. We celebrated a couple of weeks ago by visiting Hoboken, NJ, where I lived when we first started dating. We had a drink at the bar where we met – yep, we’re the “a-guy-walks-up-to-a-girl-in-a-bar couple” – greatest love story ever told. Then we headed to dinner at an old favorite: Augustino’s, a no-nonsense, absolutely delicious Italian spot. So last night was a quiet night at home. I made steak Oscar, loaded with crab, and for dessert: this chocolate dulce de leche tart.
Paired with a fabulous bottle of red wine, this is an impressive dessert. Sweet, gooey, chocolatey and a little salty. It’s relatively easy to make, the hardest part is tempering the eggs for the custard. Make it early in the day as it is better once it sets and comes to room temperature.
- 6 tablespoons (3 oz./85g) salted butter, at room temperature
- ¼ cup (35g) powdered sugar
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 cup (140g) all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup (35g) Dutch-process or natural unsweetened cocoa powder
- ¼ teaspoon fleur de sel or other flaky sea salt
- 8 oz. (230g) bittersweet or semisweet chocolate chips
- 2 large eggs
- 1¼ cups (310ml) whole milk
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup (240g) dulce de leche
- Flaky sea salt, for sprinkling over the tart
- To make the crust, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and powdered sugar on low speed just until smooth. Add the yolk, stopping the machine to scrape down the sides of the bowl, until it’s fully incorporated.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the flour and coca powder. Add them to the butter mixture, mixing just until the dough comes together. Form the dough into a disk, wrap in plastic, and let rest for 30 minutes at room temperature.
- Use the heel of your hand to press the dough into a 9-inch (23cm) tart ring with a removable bottom, getting the bottom as flat as possible and pressing the dough up the sides of the pan until it reaches the rim. Sprinkle the salt over the bottom of the dough and press it into the pastry. Put the pan in the freezer for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Line the chilled tart crust with aluminum foil and cover with a layer of pie weights or dried beans. Bake the tart shell for 15 minutes, remove the foil and pie weights, and then bake for 5 minutes more, until the tart shell feels set. Remove from the oven and decrease the oven temperature to 300°F (150°C).
- While the tart is baking, make the chocolate filling. Melt the chocolate in a clean, dry bowl set over a pan of simmering water or in the microwave. Once melted, remove the bowl from the heat and set a fine-mesh strainer over the top.
- Whisk the eggs in a bowl. Heat the milk in a saucepan, then gradually whisk the warm milk into the eggs. Scrape the mixture back into the saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with a heatproof spatula, until it’s steamy and thickens slightly, about 3 minutes. (If it separates a bit, remove it from the heat, and whisk it vigorously to bring it back together.) Pour the custard through the strainer into the chocolate. Add the vanilla and stir until smooth.
- Spread the dulce de leche over the hot tart shell in an even layer, being careful as you spread to make sure you don’t break the flaky bottom of the tart. (If the dulce de leche is very thick, let it sit in the tart shell for a minute or so to let the heat soften it, which will make it easier to spread.) Set the filled tart shell on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil, then pour the chocolate custard over the dulce de leche and smooth the top.
- Bake the tart for 20 minutes, and then turn off the heat and leave the tart in the oven with the door closed to set, 45 minutes more. Remove from the oven and let cool. Sprinkle with sea salt before serving.
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