Spiced Chocolate Tart with Shortbread Crust

Tender shortbread is the base of this rich, decadent chocolate tart, which is from our Askinosie Chocolate episode. Cardamom, cayenne and cinnamon add nuance to dark chocolate's deep flavor. And the best part? Only the crust has to be baked, so this is an elegant dessert that you can pull together with very little effort.

Pair with: Rich red wine, like the 2020 Reserve Norton from Defiance Ridge Vineyards 

Recipe by: Catherine Neville

Shortbread crust:

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour

  • 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar

  • 1/4 tsp kosher salt

  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces

  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Filling: 

  • 1 ½ cups heavy cream

  • 1 tsp cardamom pods, crushed

  • ¼ tsp ground cayenne pepper

  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon

  • 1/2 tsp kosher salt

  • 12 oz Askinosie dark chocolate 

  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

  • Flaky sea salt to finish

| Preparation | Preheat oven to 350°F. Whisk flour, confectioners' sugar, and salt in a bowl. Add cold cubes of butter and vanilla. Work dough with your hands until butter is thoroughly incorporated and a smooth dough is formed. Press the dough into a 9-inch tart pan with removable bottom evenly. Place on baking sheet and bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes, keeping an eye on the crust to make sure it doesn’t burn. Allow to thoroughly cool. 

Make the filling by heating cream over medium-high until coming to a simmer. Add cardamom, cayenne, cinnamon and salt. Stir and allow to steep and simmer for about a minute. 

Roughly chop chocolate and add to a heat-proof bowl. Strain hot cream onto chocolate and let sit for about five minutes. Stir to thoroughly melt and combine cream and chocolate, add vanilla  and then pour into cooled crust. Sprinkle top with sea salt and let set for 2 hours or put into the fridge for an hour and then serve.

Catherine Neville