Chocolate Tart with Quince Jam

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This Chocolate Tart with a quince jam filling is such a delicious and decadent dessert, perfect for chocolate lovers.

Happy Anniversary to us.  Today is our 34th Wedding anniversary.  I am not going to write much this year, as I have already written in previous anniversaries.  I  will leave it until next year since my wedding album is in Athens and I’ll have to remember to scan and post pictures of our wedding next year!

I invited over some friends over to celebrate with us and made this Chocolate Mousse Tart with homemade quince jam.

After making the tart and looking for last year’s post to link it, I discovered that last year’s post also involved quince.  

Quince is in season and as I made the jam a couple of days ago, it’s no wonder why I have added it in my tart.  The other reason is that quince and chocolate is a wonderful combination.

If you don’t have quince, try it with Bergamot or other citrus jam or fruit preserve.

The filling came out more than I needed but if you skip the jam, I think it will be just enough.

Since the eggs in the leftover chocolate were not pasteurized, I put the chocolate back in the bain marie and put it back on the heat again for a few minutes.  I mixed in some of last year’s quince fruit preserve and we enjoyed it after lunch.

How to make the Chocolate and Quince Tart

1. To make the pastry: combine the flour, sugar and salt in a large bowl. Add the butter and mix with a your hands until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs Add the ice water and work it to bind the dough until it holds together without over working it. Form the dough into a ball and place on parchment paper.  Cover with cling film and roll it one inch bigger than the size of the tart pan in order to cover the sides.
2. Grease your tart pan with butter and invert the rolled out dough into the tart pan.
3. Cut off the excess dough with your hand. Put it back in the tart shell, cover with cling film and distribute it evenly with your hand.  Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes for the butter to firm up again.
4. Add some parchment paper on top and cover it with weight so that it does not rise (I used beans).
5. Preheat the oven to 170° C  fan forced.  Place the rack in the centre of the oven and bake for 15 minutes.
6. Simultaneously prepare the filling.
7. Put the eggs in a big bowl but reserve separately about ½ an egg white.  Beat the egg white lightly and set aside.
8. Whisk the eggs with sugar and set aside.
9. Heat the heavy cream in a bain marie (water bath) and add the chocolate , salt and pepper and mix until it melts.
10. Remove the tart shell from the oven and brush the egg white on its surface, just enough to wet it.  Bake the tart again for 5 – 6 more minutes.  If you have any leftover egg white after brushing the tart, add it to the other eggs.
11. Empty the quince jam on top of the tart shell and spread it evenly.
12. Pour the chocolate gradually into the eggs and with a hand mixer whisk to incorporate.
13. Empty the chocolate mixture over the quince.
14. Bake for about 30 minutes.  If you see the chocolate beginning to crack, remove it from the oven.
15. Set aside to cool and refrigerate a few hours before cutting.
16. Sprinkle some chocolate shavings on top for decoration and a spoonful of quince jam.

Update:  13 January, 2015

A different Chocolate Tart with Apple Jam

The recipe is similar to the above, but the tart shell is different, so is the chocolate.   The baking method is also different.

You can make the tart shell using any kind of butter but the addition of shortening makes the crust more flaky and tender.  I had some leftover buffalo butter from my Christmas baking and combined it with the shortening.   A similar crust using only buffalo butter was made for my Spinach & Mushroom Tart.

For the filling I had only one chocolate, one heavy cream and one egg, so I made the chocolate topping using these ingredients and it turned out perfect.  The addition of the apple jam was also very good.

Chocolate Tart with Apple Jam

Tart shell:

• 300 grams all purpose flour
• 50 grams buffalo butter
• 150 grams Ariston shortening with butter
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ cup brown cane sugar
• 2 tbsp cold water

Filling:

Chocolate ganache:

• 200 ml heavy cream
• 125 grams chocolate couverture
• 1 egg divided
• 3 drops vanilla essence
• 1/8 tsp salt
• Freshly grated black pepper

Additional ingredient:

• ½ cup apple jam

Directions:

The tart shell was made as above and  baked with parchment paper and weights (raw beans) on top at 180^o C for 20 minutes. (The weight will prevent the shell from raising).  The parchment paper and weights were removed and the top of the tart was brushed with 1/3 of egg white.  (This is done so that the tart shell does not absorb moisture).

Meantime the chocolate and heavy cream were melted over a water bath.  Salt, pepper and vanilla were added.  The remaining egg was whisked and added to the chocolate stirring constantly.

The apple sauce was added on top of the egg white and chocolate poured on top.

It was baked again for 10 more minutes.

You can find many more Greek recipes in my cookbook “More Than A Greek Salad”, or in the shorter version “More Than A Greek Salad Just The Cookbook” and “Mint, Cinnamon & Blossom Water, Flavours of Cyprus, Kopiaste!” both available on all Amazon stores.

Other relevant recipes:

Fig and Peach Tart with Anthotyro Cheese

Sausage & Onion Tart with Easy Cornmeal Crust

Peaches and Grape Tart

Milopita:  Two old fashioned Apple Pies

Kopiaste and Kali Orexi,

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