Recipes
Walnut Tart
yield: 16 servings from an 11" tart
Ingredients:
- 3/4 cup water
- 1-3/4 cup sugar
- 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks)
- 1 cup milk or cream
- 3 ounces honey
- 8 ounces bittersweet chocolate
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
Pastry
- 3 egg yolks
- 1/3 cup iced water
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 sticks plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, in 1/2" cubes and chilled
Instructions:
Pastry:
Mix the yolks and water with a fork and refrigerate. Place flour, sugar, salt, and butter in a mixing bowl or food processor. Mix or process until it resembles coarse oatmeal. Add in the yolk mixture. Mix until well-mixed, but not holding together. Turn out onto a lightly-floured work surface. Knead dough until just holding together. Do not overwork. Divide into two pieces, one 2/3 and one 1/3. Shape into rounds. Dust with a little flour and wrap in plastic wrap. Let dough rest for about 20 to 30 minutes. Do not let dough get too warm.
Filling:
Cook water and sugar over medium high heat in a large, heavy saucepan, stirring gently with a wooden spoon until dissolved. Raise heat to high and bring to a boil without stirring, until the sugar becomes a golden brown. Stir gently until it starts to darken a bit. Remove from heat and carefully add the butter and milk or cream. Stir with a wooden spoon and return to the heat. Simmer for twenty minutes, stirring occasionally Whisk until smooth if it curdles. Remove from heat and stir in honey and nuts. Filling may be made a day ahead. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Roll out 2/3 of the pastry dough into a 14" circle. Place over an 11" tart pan. Press into place and leave 1" of dough hanging over the rim. Spoon filling into the pastry. Roll remaining dough into a circle and place on top. Press the edges of the top and bottom crusts together and fold up onto the top of the tart. Brush dough with a little water, if needed, to get it to stick. Press edges with a fork all around and cut 3 or 4 slits near the center. Place tart in the oven 1/3 up from the bottom. Bake for 20 or 30 minutes, until golden. If top bubbles up during baking, prick with a sharp knife and press down. Crust may seem soft when done. Cool to room temperature, then chill before removing the tart pan. Invert onto serving platter. Slip strips of waxed paper underneath the edges. Melt the chocolate and butter in a heavy pan over low heat, stirring constantly until smooth. Remove from the heat and let stand for ten minutes. Immediately pour over the center of the tart and spread to the edges with an offset spatula. Remove the waxed paper strips. Garnish the edges with walnuts. Chill until the icing is set. Best made a day ahead.
Note:
This is Laurence Gottlieb's Favorite Bakery Dessert. The recipe is adapted from the bakery's cookbook, "Gottlieb's Bakery: 100 years of Recipes" and appeared in the Savannah Morning News.
Part 1 <<< Part 2 <<< Part 3 <<< Back to the recipes' list