Triple Chocolate Ganache Tart

Chocolate pâte sucrée filled with layers of milk and dark chocolate ganache for a simple and truly decadent treat.

Happy Halloween, ya'll!! Let the sugar-induced madness begin! I'm keeping it classy with this decadent Triple Chocolate Ganache Tart, complete with quasi-spiderweb design.

Truth is, this is an old tart (lol) that I made a while back, but just never got to posting it. While perusing my photo files, I noticed that the design (unintentionally) resembled a spider web, so... stress-free Halloween post!!

One of the courses in the Chocolatier program is Chocolate Desserts. Twelve weeks of amazing (and not so amazing) desserts - cakes, tarts, entremets etc. - meant weight gain for many in my 'come-sample-my-goodies circle, including myself. We even did a section on molecular gastronomy, which was a real treat. But I digress...

This Triple Chocolate Ganache Tart is a slight variation on one we made in class. I remember that class vividly, because it seemed everything went wrong. Most notably, the temperature in the lab was way above it's normally cool comfort and the chillers were not exactly in chill mode.

This meant longer wait times for the ganache layers to set and vying for space in the chillers located in the adjacent lab. Worse, working with the chocolate to make decorations was somewhat challenging. This also meant the timelines for completing the recipes set out for that class were unreasonable. Knowing that these challenges were out of our control, one expected the chef to show a little leniency with grading.

She had been tough all along, so wishful thinking. My completed tart received a mere 89-percent. I remember being thoroughly annoyed - enough to stay back to complain explain that the school should do a better job of making sure the equipment worked...yada-yada-yada.

I wasn't wrong, but a few minutes into my controlled rant, I felt a little childish. I work in the corporate world and challenges and obstacles arise all the time, but I've never used them as excuses for poor performance. I've never worked in the food industry, but I imagine the same applies.

I am not one to shy away from fighting fiercely for the things I hold dear and fairness is one such thing. As shy as I am, I have zero trouble standing up for myself and others, where warranted. But in the grand scheme of things, in that moment, I realized how little it mattered. 89 or 100 - how would that change my life? So, I accepted the grade, packed up my tarts and went on my merry way.

These next few paragraphs were where I planned to address some unsavory things that have come up in my blogging life, but in the midst of my reciprocal lambasting, it occurred to me that the person toward whom I was directing my disdain didn't matter enough to me. You don't get to be the focus beyond this paragraph - not today, not ever.

This tart does, however! I made a few changes from the one we made in class, like using browned butter in the crust, because...why not?!? Remember to brush a little chocolate on your still hot baked crust to keep it from getting soggy. I used coconut cream in place of 35% dairy cream. I also switched up the chocolate brand and flavours from what we used in school. I used Valrhona Caramelia 36% and Guanaja 70%.

The Chocolate Desserts chef taught us to prepare ganache in the way I've outlined in the recipe below.  It involves heating the chocolate, as well as the cream, so that you are blending two liquids. I find the results are always on point and have made it my preferred method.

The Caramelia milk chocolate worked well with the espresso add-in  - tasted like a macchiato. The Guanaja helped to balance the sweetness of the milk chocolate. Not your typical halloween fare, but that shouldn't stop you from indulging!

Have a safe and Happy Halloween and I'll see you in a few days for a candy-less treat!

Triple Chocolate Espresso Ganache Tart

Chocolate pâte sucrée filled with layers of milk and dark chocolate ganache for a simple and truly decadent treat.

Print Recipe

Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour

Course: Dessert

Servings: 6 -8 servings

Author: I Sugar Coat It

Ingredients

Chocolate pâte sucrée (for 2 tarts - shape and freeze extra dough):

• 400 grams browned butter cold and roughly chopped
• 250 grams granulated sugar
• 2 grams salt
• 50 ml egg 1 large
• 600 grams cake flour
• 60 grams cocoa powder

Milk Chocolate Ganache:

• 145 grams coconut cream
• 200 grams caramel milk chocolate 36%
• 20 grams instant espresso powder

Dark Chocolate Ganache:

• 175 ml coconut cream
• 220 grams dark chocolate 70%

Garnish:

• fresh fruit or chocolate decorations
• white chocolate for web design
• dark chocolate for sealing tart

Instructions

• To make the pate sucree:
• Add the butter, sugar and salt to the bowl of a stand mixer. With the speed set to low, cream the mixture, stopping just before fully creamed.
• Gradually add the eggs and increase the speed to medium-low and finish creaming.
• Sift together the cake flour and cocoa powder onto a parchment paper (easier to tip into the mixing bowl) or a bowl.
• On low speed, add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture, until just incorporated. Do not over mix.
• Turn the dough out onto a clean surface and divide into two portions. Press into discs, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for a couple hours, or overnight.
• Remove one disc refrigerator, place between two silicone mats, or parchment paper and roll out to ⅛-inch.
• Press into tart pan, trimming any excess and use a fork to poke hole in the base of the tart. Return to the refrigerator to chill for 15 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 400º F. Place the tart pan on a sheet pan (I use a perforated pan) and bake on the middle rack of the oven for 15-20 minutes.
• Remove from oven and use a pastry brush to lightly coat the shell with tempered chocolate. This keeps your crust from getting soggy.

To make the milk chocolate ganache:

• Melt the chocolate and set aside.
• Bring the cream to a light boil and whisk in the espresso powder. If you are fussy, strain the milk mixture.
• In three additions, add the milk mixture to the melted chocolate, while stirring slowly from the centre out with a whisk. (Stir, do not whisk.)
• Stir until mixture becomes homogeneous, cover with a plastic wrap and allow to cool.
• Fill the tart shell halfway and place in the refrigerator to set.

To make the dark chocolate ganache:

• Melt the chocolate and set aside.
• Bring the cream to a light boil.
• In three additions, add the milk mixture to the melted chocolate, while stirring slowly from the centre out with a whisk. (Stir, do not whisk.)
• Stir until mixture becomes homogeneous, cover with a plastic wrap and allow to cool at room temperature.
• Pour over the milk chocolate, filling the tart shell to just below the top edge.
• Pipe some white chocolate in concentric circles onto the ganache and drag a toothpick through the circles from the centre out, to create the design.
• Place in the refrigerator to set.
• Top with fresh fruit or chocolate decorations.

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