Nothing says “I love you” like a sweet dessert. The first mention of Valentine’s Day as a romantic holiday appeared in the writings of Geoffrey Chaucer in 1382. During the medieval period, a new focus on love began, with knights giving roses to their maidens and celebrating their beauty in songs. Sugar was still a precious commodity in Europe, so there was no exchanging of candy gifts. It wasn’t until the 1840s that Richard Cadbury, of a British chocolate manufacturing family, saw a great marketing opportunity in selling boxes of chocolates to express affection towards your favorite Valentine. From there, it was a quick jump to cupid, roses, heart-shaped boxes of chocolates, and so on. If you’re tired of the typical Valentine’s Day gifts, why not try out this recipe for a dark chocolate raspberry tart?
Ingredients:
- • 20 cream-filled chocolate sandwich cookies
- • 3 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
- • ½ cup raspberry jam
- • 8 oz. (62% cacao) bittersweet chocolate bar, chopped
- • 1¼ cups heavy cream
- • 2 large eggs
- • 1½ tsp. vanilla extract
- • ½ tsp. kosher salt
- • Powdered sugar
- • Fresh raspberries
- • Sweetened whipped cream
Directions:
- 1. Pulse cookies in food processor until finely ground. Transfer crumbs to a medium bowl; stir in melted butter until well combined. Press mixture firmly onto bottom and up sides of a 9-inch tart pan. Freeze crust 30 minutes.
- 2. Preheat oven to 350˚. Remove crust from freezer. Bake in oven until crust begins to smell fragrant and chocolaty, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove crust from oven and let cool completely, about 30 minutes. Spread jam in an even layer on bottom of crust.
- 3. Place chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Heat heavy cream in a saucepan over medium until the cream simmers. Pour hot cream over the chopped chocolate; let stand 2 minutes. Stir mixture until the chocolate melts and mixture is smooth. Whisk in eggs, vanilla and salt. Pour mixture into crust. Bake tart until sides are set but center is still wobbly, 25 to 30 minutes. Chill in refrigerator until cool, about 4 hours.
- 4. To serve, sprinkle tart with powdered sugar and top with raspberries and whipped cream.
