Chocolate walnut tart

Chocolate walnut tart

Photograph by James Carrier

TIME About 50 minutes
NOTES If making up to 1 day ahead, cover and chill. To serve, let warm to room temperature, about 1 hour.
SERVES 8 to 10

Ingredients

1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup pine nuts
1/2 cup plus 3 tbsp. sugar
1/2 cup (1/4 lb.) butter or margarine
9 oz. bittersweet or semisweet chocolate
6 large egg yolks
1 tsp. cognac or brandy
1/2 tsp. almond extract
Unsweetened cocoa powder

Directions

1. In a food processor, whirl walnuts, pine nuts, and 1/2 cup sugar until nuts are coarsely ground. Pour into a 9-in. tart pan with removable rim. In a 2-cup glass measure, melt 1/4 cup butter in a microwave oven at full power (100%), 20 to 30 seconds. Add melted butter to nut mixture and rub in with your fingers to blend. Press mixture evenly over bottom and up sides of pan. Set pan on a foil-lined 12- by 15-in. baking sheet.

2. Bake in a 325° regular or convection oven until crust begins to brown around edges, 20 to 30 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, chop half the chocolate into 1/2-in. chunks and set aside. Finely chop remaining chocolate.

4. In the glass measure, combine remaining 1/4 cup butter, cut into small pieces, with finely chopped chocolate. Heat in a microwave oven at half power (50%) until chocolate is soft, 30 to 45 seconds. Stir until mixture is smooth.

5. In a bowl with a mixer on high speed, beat egg yolks, remaining 3 tbsp. sugar, cognac, and almond extract until mixture turns pale yellow, about 3 minutes. Add chocolate-butter mixture and beat to blend. Stir in coarsely chopped chocolate. Scrape into warm nut crust.

6. Bake in a 325° regular or convection oven until filling barely jiggles when pan is gently shaken, about 15 minutes. Set on a rack until warm or cool.

7. To serve, remove rim; dust tart lightly with cocoa and cut into wedges.

PER SERVING 448 cal., 72% (324 cal.) from fat; 8.7 g protein; 36 g fat (13 g sat.); 32 g carbo (2.8 g fiber); 100 mg sodium; 152 mg chol.