This recipe was the result of a last-minute decision to co-host a neighborhood progressive dinner. With only a few hours before the start, I had to come up with something special using ingredients I had on hand. Luckily, my freezer was stocked up with leftover nuts from holiday baking. I started with the concept of a pecan pie-type filling, using hazelnuts, then added a bit of instant coffee and some leftover bittersweet chocolate. The final tart was a hit.
Hazelnut Mocha Tart
This decadent tart is loaded with toasted hazelnuts, rich coffee and dark chocolate.
Ingredients
- Crust
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 stick (4 oz.) unsalted butter, melted and cooled Filling
- 1 ½ – 2 cups roasted unsalted nuts, roughly chopped (I use hazelnuts)
- 1 large egg
- 1 large yolk
- ¼ cup light brown sugar
- ¼ cup light corn syrup
- 2 teaspoons instant coffee
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 4 Tablespoons (2 oz.) unsalted butter, melted
- 1 Tablespoon whole milk or heavy cream
- 2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup bittersweet chocolate, chopped
- Flaky sea salt
- Lightly-sweetened whipped heavy cream
Directions
- Make crust: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a bowl, stir together flour, salt and melted butter. Press dough along bottom and up sides of a 9” tart pan. Place pan on a piece of aluminum foil to catch any leaking butter. Bake for 20 minutes. Cool slightly, cover crust with nuts and chill until ready to use.
- Make Filling: Beat together egg, yolk, sugar, corn syrup, instant coffee, and salt. Whisk in the melted butter, milk, flour and vanilla. Stir in chocolate. Pour over nuts (don’t overfill)and sprinkle with flaky sea salt. Bake for about 40 minutes until the filling is set at the edge but slightly wobbly in the center. Cool pie completely before slicing. Serve with lightly-sweetened whipped cream.
Two-Bit Tart 