Pastry shops in Bologna are all adorned with the most delicious looking sweets, overflowing with cookies and tarts and confections. This dessert is inspired by a particularly delicious crostata our team tasted in the city: a layer of buttery shortbread crust, velvety chocolate ganache, and topped with tangy apricot jam. It’s a dessert that shines in its simplicity, and every component brings out something delicious in the others.
Category
Dessert
Servings
8
Prep Time
20 minutes
Cook Time
35 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup powdered sugar, packed
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) chilled, unsalted butter
- 8 oz (about 1 1/3 cups) bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
- 1 cup heavy cream
¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup apricot jam
- Powdered sugar, for dusting
For the crust:
For the Filling:
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F.
- For the crust, in a food processor, combine the flour, powdered sugar, and salt for a few seconds until combined. Add the chilled butter, and process on high until the mixture becomes a dough; this can take several minutes.
- Press the mixture into the bottom of a 10” tart pan, ensuring a thin even layer along the base and up the sides. Use the back of a spoon or the bottom of a glass to smooth and compact the crust. Prick the bottom of the dough with a fork all over, around 5 times.
- Bake the crust in the oven for about 25 to 30 minutes, until it looks puffed and set, and turns golden brown along the edges. Remove from the oven and let cool completely.
For the chocolate layer, place the finely chopped bittersweet chocolate in a heatproof bowl. In a small saucepan, heat the heavy cream, salt and vanilla extract over medium heat until it just begins to simmer. Pour the hot cream over the chopped chocolate, making sure all the chocolate is covered, and let sit for 2 minutes. Stir until the chocolate is completely melted and the mixture is smooth. (If there are any chunks of chocolate leftover, it is likely due to not being chopped finely enough; simply reheat in a microwave-safe bowl for 15 second increments until completely melted.) You now have ganache. Allow the ganache to cool slightly, for about 10 minutes.
- Once the shortbread crust has cooled, carefully remove it from the tart pan, and pour the ganache over the bottom, spreading evenly. Set in the refrigerator for 30 minutes for the ganache layer to set.
- Once the chocolate layer has firmed up slightly, spread an even layer of apricot jam over the chocolate layer. Place it back in the fridge for at least 2 hours until fully set.
- Dust the top with powdered sugar and serve.
Nutrition
Nutrition
- Nutrition Serving Size
- 8
- per serving
- Calories
- 600
- Carbs
- 69 grams
- Protein
- 5 grams
- Fat
- 37 grams
- Saturated Fat
- 23 grams
- Cholestrol
- 79 milligrams
- Sodium
- 221 milligrams
- Fiber
- 2 grams
- Sugar
- 40 grams
Let’s Cook
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