Ah springtime. The sun is shining, leaves are back on the trees, flowers are blooming, and best of all, outdoor seating, patios and rooftop bars are back! Sipping on refreshing cocktails is a nice way to spend any afternoon but there’s something special about drinking outdoors that makes drinks that much more delicious. Whether it’s sangria, mojitos, margaritas, wine, beer or even water…. it just tastes better outside with the sun shining down.

And on the topic of cocktails, I recently threw a bridal shower where I featured six different signature drinks, each named after a Disney princess. It was my little way of incorporating the bride’s love for Disney without breaking out tiaras. The drinks were a HUGE hit! So much so that I’ve gotten several requests for the recipes. Well ladies, here you go! This is the Aurora drink… Prosecco with berries, mint and elderflower liqueur. Aurora is Sleeping Beauty for those of you who don’t know your princesses. Okay, I know very little about her as well. Wikipedia tells me that she’s got 3 fairy godmothers and I think there’s some reds, purples and greens going on. Tada! Reds, purples, green… and delicious!

Now to be totally honest, I’ve had some variation of this drink before. Some friends of mine made a big pitcher of something simliar at a Sunday brunch. Champagne with St Germain is a favorite combo of mine so when I see it on a menu, I am most likely going to order that. I’ve had the berries and mint combo with rums and vodkas. I’ve tried different versions of all these ingredients but this is the recipe for my favorite combo. And yes that little hint of lemon makes the biggest difference. Don’t forget the lemon!

Ingredients:
4 oz. Prosecco or Cava
4 oz. soda water
2 oz. St. Germain elderflower liqueur
5 blackberries (1 extra for garnish)
5 raspberries (1 extra for garnish)
5 mint leaves, torn up
1/2 lemon slice

Step 1: Muddle
In a taller glass (or cocktail mixer if you have one), smash together the berries and mint leaves. Make sure to crush up those mint leaves to get the flavor out of them.

Step 2: Mix
Now slowly pour in the Prosecco, soda water and St Germain. Give that a quick stir.

Step 3: Pour
Now this is where you have options. You can pour the drink whole into a lowball glass with ice but make sure you serve with a straw so that your guests don’t get berries and mint all over their teeth. Or you can strain and pour into a lowball glass with ice or a champagne flute. Depends on how fancy you want to be. If you go the flute route, this recipe will make about 2 flutes worth. Don’t forget to twist and add the slice of lemon and a couple berries for garnish.

Say you want to make a whole pitcher’s worth. The key is the ratio: 1 part bubbles, 1 part soda water and 1/2 part St Germain. A little goes a long way with that St Germain. Hope you all enjoy it! Cheers!

That’s right, tomorrow is one of my favorite holidays… Cinco de Mayo! Who does not love Cinco de Mayo? Okay quick disclaimer: I realize it’s not a holiday that many people celebrate. The day doesn’t actually commemorate Mexican independence either (that’s in September day before my birthday), we’ve just adopted it as a day to celebrate Mexican heritage… which means mariachis, tequila and tacos for all. Having spent most of my life in LA, celebrating Cinco de Mayo is no different to me than the Fourth of July, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Chinese New Year.

I learned how to cook most of my Mexican dishes as a kid growing up in a hispanic neighborhood. There was always a mom, aunt or grandma telling me to stir, chop or mix something. This Salsa Verde recipe was picked up somewhere along the way. It’s super simple and easy to make. It’s a nice mild and tangy salsa made with tomatillos (husked green tomatoes). It’s great with chips or on top of pretty much anything. I usually have this, a traditional Pico de Gallo, and 7 different hot sauces on hand in the fridge at all times. What? A girl needs her choice of sauces!

For those of you celebrating with your own fiesta, check out some of my previous posts on Mexican dishes: Guacmole, Mexican Rice, Carne Asada, and Enchiladas. Buen provecho!

Ingredients:
6 small to medium sized tomatillos, peel the husks and wash well
1 large yellow onion
6 cloves of garlic
2  jalapeño pepper
handful of cilantro leaves
juice of 1 lime
2 teaspoons salt

Preheat oven to 400°F or 205°C.

Step 1: Roast!
Line a baking tray with foil. You’ll want one with a deeper edge to catch the juices. Place your whole cleaned tomatillos on the tray. Cut the onion into quarters and place on the tray. Add on the jalapeños, whole. Scatter with 6 cloves of peeled garlic. Place the tray in the oven for 15- 20 minutes.

Step 2: Blend!
Once your tomatillos are blistered and the onions have started to brown, take the tray out of the oven and let it cool until you can handle the veggies. While that is cooling, add cilantro, lime juice, and salt into your food processor. Cut up the tomatillos, onion, and jalapeños (toss the stems) into large chunks. Toss everything (juices from the pan too) into a food processor. Pulse pulse pulse, blend for a good 30 seconds to make sure everything is mixed and chopped nicely. Taste test, maybe add a little more lime or a little more salt.

Step 3: Optional!
Now this is a pretty mild salsa, yes even with the 2 jalapeños you roasted and added. If you want to add a little more kick to it, add in 1 more fresh jalapeño when you chop.

Happy Cinco de Mayo everyone!

Since I’ve been on a raw food health kick lately, I’ve been experimenting a lot with different vegetables: cabbage, kale, carrots, beets, chickpeas, sprouts, and zucchini. I mean practically anything can be a “salad” if you want it to. I’m more excited about playing with their textures. I love the firmness of the raw zucchini, it’s almost like al dente pasta. I’ve done zucchini pasta before, by shredding the zucchini to be like spaghetti and then mixing in some tomato sauce but ribbons are different! Ribbons are like… pappardelle!

Okay, who am I kidding? Zucchini will never replace my love for pasta, but when you want something light, super refreshing with a little more bite than a piece of lettuce… this is the salad for you. Oh did I mention, it’s also delicious? I think the best part about this salad is that it took me about 15 minutes to make. It doesn’t even involve the stove! This recipe will come in really handy this summer. Hope you like it!

Ingredients:
2 zucchini
2 summer squash
1 tablespoon capers, rinsed and pat dried from a jar
1 shallot
2 teaspoons dijon mustard
3 sprigs of fresh thyme
3 sprigs of fresh parsley
3 sprigs of fresh cilantro
3 sprigs of fresh dill
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
juice of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon of honey or agave nectar
2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
pinch of sea salt
fresh ground pepper to taste

Step 1: Ribbons!
Cut your zucchini and squash into super thin slices using a mandolin slicer or a vegetable peeler. I prefer vegetable peeler because I can control my slices a little easier without risking a finger. An adjustable mandolin would be great for this too. Put the slices in a colander, sprinkle with a pinch of salt and set aside for about 5 minutes to let the water to drain. Rinse the salt off and pat the slices dry with a paper towel.

Step 2: Dressing!
Finely chop 1 shallot until it is super minced and place into a small mixing bowl. Then pluck all the leaves off your herbs, the thyme, parsley, cilantro and dill. Finely chop the leaves up so they’re all minced. Whisk the minced shallot and herbs with dijon, honey/agave, lemon juice, red wine vinegar and a pinch of salt and fresh ground pepper. Slowly add in the extra virgin olive oil as you continue to whisk. Voilà, you have dressing!

Step 3: Toss!
In a mixing bowl, pour the dressing over the zucchini and squash ribbons. Depending on the size of your zucchini and squash, you may want to only pour in half the dressing and add more if needed. Throw in the capers. Mix with your hands to make sure the ribbons get dressed. Transfer to a clean plate and serve!

Where does the time go?! I cannot believe it’s been so long since my last post. But to be totally honest, I had planned on taking a little break from Vanilla Latte at the beginning of the year. What was supposed to be one month off to redesign the website turned into… gasp… 4 months! And I still have no new design to show for it.

So what have I been doing? Well, I took a little “me” time after being sick for most of January. I decided to slow down on the work front and dedicate more time to friends and family. That did not quite happen, but I’m slowly getting there. How amazing was winter this year? I don’t even think I wore snow shoes at all. Next thing I knew, it was March and I was getting ready for the start of  wedding season. Spring rolled around and it’s been gorgeous in NY. A little sunshine was just the jumpstart I needed to get back to sharing my food adventures with you.

And on the topic of food adventures, I have been a little more adventurous in the seafood department. I think I can officially call myself a pescatarian, but I still generally stay more towards the plant based stuff. I am currently experimenting with a diet that has me eating veggies (mostly raw), fish (mostly raw), and tons of beans. I’ve  mostly cut out dairy, white carbs, and sugar. It’s been hard but with one cheat day a week, I still get to enjoy a burrito and scarf down a slice of pizza occasionally. We will see how long this lasts, but it has inspired me to post about all the salads and vegan dishes I’ve come up with. So stay tuned for spring health kick 2012!

And for those of you who didn’t know already, you can become a fan of Vanilla Latte on Facebook! And if you’re on twitter, you can find me follow @VanillaLatteCom.

It’s almost time for Thanksgiving!!! As soon as I decided to cook this year (about 2 months ago) I have been fine-tuning the menu and trying new takes on old favorites. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday because it’s pretty much the best excuse to cook all day long. So on top of the traditional Roast Turkey, Stuffing, Roasted Garlic Potatoes and Gravy, I am making my Jalapeño Cornbread, a variety of salads, and my alternative to candied yams or sweet potato…. sweet and savory sweet potato hasselbacks!

I love yams and I love sweet potatoes. I’ll eat them mashed, baked whole, french fried, in risottos and pretty much any other way to cook them. Except with marshmallows on top. I think it’s just a little too sweet for me. Hasselback Potatoes are baked potatoes with slots cut in and stuffed with garlic or breadcrumbs. It’s a Swedish dish… gotta love Swedish design, even in food! So I’ve tried a few variations of this recipe but this is the perfect balance of sweet and savory. You can use both yams and sweet potatoes for this recipe. Yams are generally a little more narrow than the sweet potato so make sure you don’t over cook, they will tend to mush together.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Ingredients:
4 same-sized sweet potatoes, scrubbed and peeled
2-3 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
1 sprig of rosemary
1 teaspoon of brown sugar per potato
1/2 tablespoon of butter per potato
pinch of salt per potato
pinch of fresh ground pepper per potato
tiny dash of cayenne pepper per potato
extra virgin olive oil

Preheat oven to 400°F or 205°C

Step 1: The Hasselback Potato
Traditionally Hasselback Potatoes leave the skin on to crisp up but I like the sweet potato version without skin. Find the flat part of the sweet potato and make sure that’s on the bottom. Carefully cut slices into your sweet potato starting from one end. You want to leave about 1/2 cm in between and cut as low as you can without cutting all the way through.

Step 2: Assemble!
Insert about 4 or 5 slices of garlic into each sweet potato. Brush the whole thing with some olive oil and place onto a baking tray. Take your 1/2 tablespoon of butter and break it up into little pieces and rub on the ridges of your potato. Now top each one with brown sugar, salt, fresh ground pepper and tiny dash of cayenne. Make sure you spread that brown sugar all along the cracks! Break off a few leaves of rosemary and top each potato with 4-5 leaves.

Step 3: Bake!
Place baking tray into the oven at 400°F for about 35-45 minutes or until soft in the middle. Stick a fork in it to test. Check on them at about 20 minutes if you are using yams that are generally thinner. It should be just crisp on the outside and soft in the inside.

I wish everyone a very delicious holiday! Bon appétit!

I’ve been meaning to post this dish for a really long time. It is quite possibly my favorite go-to pasta dish. I would say it’s the pasta dish of all time but Mac n Cheese will always win that fight. But since Mac n Cheese, to me, means making a béchamel, using 4-5 cheeses, and patiently waiting for the baking part to be done…. this simple orecchiette dish wins for being quick, easy and so delicious!

I absolutely love Broccoli Rabe, aka Rapini. I love it’s nutty bitterness and vibrant green color. It’s also jam packed with good for your vitamins. As a side dish, I like to sauté with a little olive oil, so you really keep the flavor of broccoli rabe. Maybe a little grated Pecorino on top. Mmm. Okay so say you don’t love Broccoli Rabe as much as I do, you can easily substitute with other hearty greens like broccolini, spinach, or kale. I’ve tried the variations, nothing beats the rabe with this recipe! The provolone is a perfect sweet balace to the bite of the rabe. You’ll have to just trust me and try it. Bon appétit!

Ingredients:
1/2 box of dry orecchiette pasta (0.5 lbs)
2 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
1 shallot, finely diced
1 teaspoon of red chili flakes
2 tablespoons of butter
1 bunch of broccoli rabe (about 1lb)
1/2 cup of grated provolone cheese
salt
fresh ground pepper
sprinkle of grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, optional

Step 1: The Rabe
Bring a large pot of water to boil. Toss in your washed broccoli rabe for about a minute. Take it out and throw directly into an ice bath to stop the cooking. Drain, roughly chop into 1 inch sections and set aside.

Step 2: The Pasta
Using that same large pot, bring another batch of water to boil. Sprinkle in about 2 hefty pinches of salt. Toss in your pasta and let that cook until al dente. Follow the directions on the box or just do a taste test after a few minutes. You’ll want to stir occasionally to break up the orecchiette, they like to stick together. Once al dente, drain and toss back into the pot.

Step 3: Combine
While your pasta water is coming to a boil, you can start on the rest of the dish. In a large saucepan, melt about 2 tablespoons of butter over medium high heat. Drizzle a little bit of extra virgin olive oil so the butter does not burn. Toss in the diced shallot and let that cook until transparent. Add in the sliced garlic and red chili flakes and cook for another minute. Toss in the chopped broccoli rabe and toss until combined. Your pasta should be boiling away and almost ready to go by now… add in about 2 tablespoons of the pasta water into the saucepan before you drain the pasta. Toss in the pasta and mix until combined. Turn off the heat, sprinkle in the provolone cheese, add little fresh ground pepper and a pinch of salt to taste. Combine and serve!

I like to top it off with a little bit of grated Parmigiano-Reggiano before serving. Hope you like it as much as I do! Enjoy!

As the very last trip of the summer, Vini and I went to Minneapolis for my dear friend Annie’s wedding reception. We only had 2 days but we were so pleasantly surprised with all the foodie finds. We got in early, hopped in the rental car and started our midwest adventure.

We started at Brasa Premium Rotisserie. It was like southern bbq with a cuban twist. Vini had the slow roasted pork plate with rice and beans. I ordered a ton of sides for us to share including: cornbread, masa cake with cheese (it was like an inside out pupusa), apple and cabbage slaw, jalapeño cream spinach, and the salad special, curried chickpeas. It was all SO delicious. Unfortunately, I only snapped a shot of our Dr. Pepper bottle. When the food came, we chowed down so fast I totally forgot to take a picture!

After lunch, we went to the Walker Art Center. It was the perfect weather for the sculpture garden and a much needed walk after the feast we just had. For all you art folks out there, the Walker is a must see! I was so bummed we were a month too early for the Graphic Design: Now in Production exhibit.

The wedding reception dinner was at The Red Stag Supper Club. It was absolutely delicious! You cannot go wrong with a modern American restaurant with an old school feel serving yummy farm-to-table sustainable food. We were at a table with midwest locals and got a crash course on midwestern classic dishes. For starters we had this malt vinegar giant potato chip, truffle popcorn, and fried cheese curds. The potato chip was paper thin, super crisp and gigantic! Fried cheese curds are simply amazing, it’s like cheese funnel cake. And truffle popcorn, um need I say more? Our entrees were equally as delicious. Vini had the swordfish and I had the goat cheese fettucini. For dessert, we had a flourless chocolate ganache cake. It was phenomenal. Again, I was so excited I forgot to take pictures of the entrees and dessert!

The next day we had a few hours to kill before our flight so we drove around Minneapolis. Hit up some of the cute shops and attempted to visit some of their lakes. But really, let’s be honest, we were just waiting for a decent time to eat lunch. We were recommended Wise Acre Eatery and loved it! Delicious farm-to-table eatery that looks like it’s in a converted gas station. We were drooling at every description of the dish as our server was kind enough to walk us through each ingredient literally from farm to table. I couldn’t resist their CSA hash: fresh summer veggies chopped up and served with an herb scramble topped with chipotle mayo. Vini had their meatloaf sandwich which was a toad-in-the-hole in the actual meatloaf served on a carrot mash with some ginger rhubarb chutney. It was the perfect meal to end our quick foodie getaway to Minneapolis.

Dear Minneapolis –

We will be back, most likely for the State Fair so we can have more fried cheese curds. Stay awesome & delicious in the meantime!

Your new friend, Maggie.

Quite possibly one of my favorite ways to consume bananas… in cake form and with chocolate! These cupcakes are so fragrant and scrumptious looking just sitting on my kitchen counter, I had to have one with my cuppa tea this morning. Okay I guess the tea was more meant to go with my cupcake than the other way around. I mean it’s a hearty breakfast right? There’s bananas in them!

I pretty much buy bananas with the intention of eating about 2 and then patiently waiting for the remainder of the bunch to ripe for a few days so I can make banana bread. I associate banana bread with breakfast because the cafe’s in Sydney served them as a breakfast menu item. Mmmm, toasted with a little bit of butter melted on top. Wish my local cafe here had banana bread as an option!

I adapted this banana cupcake recipe from Martha, adding a little here and there. I used my go-to simple chocolate frosting recipe because to me, banana goes with chocolate like peanut butter and jelly. Hope you like them as much as I do!

Serving Size: 12 cupcakes

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups of all purpose flour
3/4 cup of sugar
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg
1 stick of unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 1/2 cups of smashed ripe banana
2 eggs at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
24 dark chocolate quarter-size disks or about 1/4 cup of dark chocolate chocolate chips

1 cup of confectioners’ sugar
1/4 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder
pinch of salt
1 stick of unsalted butter, room temperature
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1 tablespoon of whole milk

Preheat oven to 350°F or 175°C

Step 1: The batter!
Melt 1 stick of unsalted butter in a small saucepan over low heat. You want to make sure you just melt it and not let it simmer! Once melted, remove from heat and set aside to cool to room temp. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together  the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Create a well in the center and set a side. In another mixing bowl, whisk the eggs lightly to break them up. Smash about 3 super ripe bananas in a separate bowl with a fork before measuring out 1 1/2 cups, add that to the eggs along with the vanilla extract. Whisk to combine. Now add in a little butter at a time and whisk together until all combined. Pour the west mixture into the well you created in the flour mixture. Using a spatula, fold and mix until just combined… you don’t want to over mix!

Step 2: The baking!
Line your cupcake tray with cupcake liners. Fill the cups about 1/2 way up each cup using an ice cream scooper or spoon. Now drop in 2 quarter-sized dark chocolate disks in each cup or about 3-4 chocolate chips right in the middle. Fill the cups to about 3/4 full with the remaining batter.  Pop them in the oven for 25 minutes at 350°F. Test to see if they’re ready with a toothpick. Make sure to stick the toothpick in at an angle from the side… you’ll get melted chocolate if you go in the middle! Remove from oven, let it cool to room temperature.

Step 3: The frosting!
While your cupcakes are cooling, make the frosting! In a bowl, whisk together the  confectioners’ sugar, cocoa powder and pinch of salt. With an electric mixer, whisk 1 stick of unsalted butter until it’s light and fluffy. Make sure to use the whisk attachment if you’re using a stand mixer. Slowly add in a couple scoops of the sugar and cocoa mixture at a time until it is all combined. Make sure to scrape down the sides and bottom occasionally. Now whisk in the vanilla extract and 1 tablespoon of milk, scrape the sides down.  Mix for about 30 seconds until frosting is light and fluffy. Dollop about 2 tablespoons on top of each cupcake and spread all over.

Store in an air tight container at room temperature. They’re best if consumed day of though… the melted chocolate in the middle is best if still a little oozy. Serve with coffee and tea or even a mimosa! Enjoy!

Let me start off by saying… I don’t particularly love cheesecakes. When it comes to dessert choices, I almost always go for the fruit tart, anything chocolate or ice cream. But every once in a while… I just want a good slice of cheesecake with lots of crust. Vini has been requesting cheesecake to be put at the top of the “Please Make This For Me!!!” list for quite some time… so I played around with my Red, White & Blue Cheesecake and came up with this Raspberry Swirl Cheesecake.

My favorite part of any cheesecake is the crust. So I generally make crusts that go all the way to the top of the sides so there’s plenty of graham cracker goodness for every bite. The raspberry swirl is a perfect combination of tangy fruitiness to the rich creamy filling. This dish would be great for a dinner party, the pretty marbling will definitely impress guests! Cheesecakes are very time consuming and require at least 6 hours of refrigeration after all the baking is done but the result is definitely worth it. Bon appétit!

Ingredients:
2 cups of finely ground graham crackers (about 12 whole pieces)
6 tablespoons of melted butter
1/2 cup of sugar
1/4 teaspoon of salt
16 ounces of cream cheese, room temperature
16 ounces of sour cream
1 cup of sugar
2 teaspoons of vanilla paste OR 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
3 eggs
1 package of fresh raspberries (6 oz)
2 tablespoons of sugar

Tools:
9-inch springform baking pan
roasting pan
foil
boiling water

Preheat oven to 350°F or 175°C.

Step 1: The Crust!
Wrap the outside bottom of a 9-inch springform baking pan with 2 layers of foil. You want it to make sure to use whole pieces of foil to cover up the bottom and along the sides… this is to prevent water from going into your pan. In a small saucepan, melt your 6 tablespoons of butter. Don’t let it simmer, just melt it. In a food processor, grind up your graham crackers until they are like fine breadcrumbs. In a large mixing bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, 1/2 cup of sugar, 1/4 teaspoon of salt and the melted butter. Pour that mixture into your foil-wrapped pan. Use the bottom of a cup or your fingers to press down the along the bottom and sides to form a crust. It will still be a bit crumbly so be careful. Pop that into the oven at 350°F for 15 minutes. Remove and set aside to cool for later.

Step 2: The Raspberry!
In a food processor, puree 6 oz. of raspberries (that’s about 1 package). Now put the puree through a sieve… this might take some time if you have a fine mesh. Use a spoon or spatula and stir the puree to help it along. Once you’ve gotten all the smooth raspberry goodness out of it, toss out the remains. Stir in 2 tablespoons of sugar and set aside for later.

Step 3: The Filling!
Lower your oven to 350°F (160°C). Now to make the filling. If you have a stand mixer, use the paddle attachment. Electric hand mixer works and so does a really strong arm! Now whisk the cream cheese until light and fluffy. Add in the sour cream and whisk until combined. Add the sugar and vanilla and mix until combined. Now add in one egg at a time and whisk until it is all combined.

Step 4: The Baking!
Turn your kettle on to boil some water. Once your water is boiling… we’re ready to bake. First, place your crust pan into a roasting dish. Pour in your cream cheese filling. It should be just enough to fill to the top. Now using a small spoon, dollop in a little raspberry puree about 1 inch apart from each other. To make the marble, use a toothpick or wooden skewer  and run it around the top of the filling to break up the raspberry into the filling. Now pour the boiling water into the roasting pan so that it’s a little less than halfway up the pan. You don’t want it too close to the edge of your foil either! Pop that whole thing in the oven and bake for 1 hour and 15 mins.

Step 5: Cool It!
Once the cheesecake has been in the oven for 1 hour and 15 mins, it should be good to take out. It will still be a bit wobbly, especially in the middle. Let the cheesecake sit in the roasting pan with water for another 30 minutes. Then take the cake out, and cool on a cooling rack until room temperature. Then refrigerate for at least 6 hours. Run a knife along the side of the pan before removing the side of the springform.

Make sure to serve it chilled. It’s 3pm… why yes, I would love some with my afternoon coffee thanks! Enjoy!

So this is how it happened: I was out shopping for some boxes to organize all the stuff I have in my apartment. It started raining – I can’t buy cardboard boxes in the rain, that would just be silly. Across the street is Sur La Table. It is raining, did I mention that already? So I had to go in for some cover. They happened to have a sale. Two giant bags of baking toys later, I had to rush home to start making my tarts!

This dish has been on my mind for a while. Dark chocolate ganache tart with toasted pistachios and a pinch of sea salt on top. I’ve been on a pistachio kick lately and I think it goes really well with a dark bitter chocolate. I played around with several different crusts… yes I now have several different tart trays to work with… and the best tasting with this filling is “the great unshrinkable sweet tart shell” from Smitten Kitchen. Although mine definitely shrank. Graham cracker just did not taste right with this and neither did my chocolate biscuit crust, maybe too much chocolate with the dark chocolate filling.

Now this dish sounds pretty easy but it does take a lot of time. Please allow for time to chill the dough for the crust, bake it and let it cool (all in all about 4 hours). Then the ganache part will need another 2 hours to set so you’re talking some serious time commitment when making this. But it is totally worth it.

Super rich dark chocolate with the crunch of the pistachios and a lovely surprise kick of the sea salt all over a crumbly crust. YUM. Here’s the recipe…. enjoy!

You will need a 9 1/2 -inch tart pan. I like the ones with the removable bottom so it’s easy to serve.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar (powered sugar)
1/4 teaspoon of salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick and 1 tablespoon) of chilled butter cut into small cubes
1 large egg

12 oz extra bittersweet dark chocolate (I like Ghirardelli’s 70% Cacoa – 3 bars)
2 tablespoons of confectioner’s sugar
1 1/4 cup of heavy cream
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1/2 cup of pistachio nuts
sea salt flakes

Step 1: Making the Crust
First, cut up your butter into small cubes, about 1/2 in sizes. Throw those in a bowl and stick it in the freezer for about 10 minutes. While that is freezing, whisk together the 1 1/2 cups of flour, the 1/2 cup of confectioner’s sugar and 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Then scoop that into a food processor and toss in the frozen butter chunks. Pulse quickly until the butter breaks down and the whole mixture looks like a coarse meal with some chunks of butter around pea sized. Now add in the egg and pulse until combined. Your food processor will change noises as the dough forms and it’s working harder. Hold down the pulse for about 10 seconds and you should have a lump of dough in there. Remove and form into a round disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 2 hours.

Step 2: Rolling the Crust
After your dough has been chilled for 2 hours, you’re ready to roll! First make sure to butter your tart pan. Sprinkle flour to a clean flat surface, you can also roll the dough between 2 sheets of parchment paper. Roll in all directions until you have an even flat round disk about 12 inches wide. Be careful you don’t touch the dough too much, you don’t want to melt the butter. Using the parchment paper or rolling pin, transfer your dough over your tart pan. Gently push down from the middle to the edges to get the dough flattened onto the pan. Fold over the excess dough so you have a double crust on the sides. Be sure to cut off any extra dough from the top. Now cover the whole top with foil, pressing it up against the dough. Pop that guy in the freezer for about an hour.

Step 3: Baking the Crust
About 10 minutes before your hour is up, preheat your oven to 375°F or 190°C. When the dough is ready, take it out of the freezer, place on a baking sheet and pop that in the middle of the oven for 20 minutes. Keep the foil on there as close to the dough as possible! After 20 minutes, take the tart out. Slowly remove the foil and if the crust has puffed up, push it down with the back of the spoon. Put the crust back in the oven for another 12 minutes to finish cooking. Rotate halfway to make sure it’s cooked evenly. You want it to be a nice golden brown. Once it’s ready, remove from the oven and place on a cooling rack until it reaches room temperature.

Step 4: Nuts!
In a medium pan, heat up the pistachios over a medium heat. Roll them around the pan for about 10 minutes. You should be able to smell them. Remove and let them cool for another 10 minutes. Chop them up coarsely and set aside.

Step 5: The Ganache
As your crust cools, you can start on the ganache! Chop up the chocolate into small chucks and put in a glass mixing bowl. If you’re using a bar, I just cut them with my hands in the package so they crumble out pretty easily into nice small pieces. In a small sauce pan bring your heavy cream to boil. Watch and stir regularly so that it doesn’t over boil. Once you see bubbles form, it’s ready. Pour the heavy cream through a sieve to make sure none of that milk skin gets in the smooth ganache!  Whisk the cream and chocolate together until completely combined and melted. Add in the vanilla and confectioner’s sugar and whisk some more. It should be smooth and creamy but the chocolate might have a bit of oil to it… it’s okay! Pour chocolate mixture into your cooled tart crust and giggle the pan a little to get it smooth. Now sprinkle on top your chopped pistachios and a couple pinches of sea salt.

Dark chocolate with sea salt… I can’t deny that I just absolutely love the flavor combo. It’s not for everyone so if you’re not a fan, just skip the salt. Serve with some crème fraîche or just eat it plain on it’s own. On that note, it’s just about afternoon tea time! Enjoy!