Chocolate Juniper Tart

SAM PETROVICH — Pair, San Francisco

Military Veterans Resource Group

PREP TIME: 40 minutes | COOK TIME: 50 minutes, 1 hour cooling | TOTAL TIME: 2 hours, 30 minutes

Growing up, I used to watch cooking shows with my dad and play with the recipes by adding and substituting flavors. In my experimentation with flavors, I was drawn to a combination of juniper, chocolate, and hazelnuts and decided to adapt my chocolate tart recipe. There is a joke in my family about being able to taste how many berries were added in a dish, and making this dish reminds me of baking with my dad and of the juniper tree lined pathways when I visit him at Arlington National Cemetery.

CRUST

1 ½ cups all purpose flour

½ tsp salt

½ cup unsalted Irish butter, cubed and chilled

1 egg yolk

3 tbsp cold water

You can also add some toasted, ground hazelnuts (and a little extra butter) for a rounder flavored crust CHOCOLATE FILLING

1 cup heavy cream

9 ounces Guittard semi-sweet chocolate wafers

2 tsp juniper berries

Toast juniper berries in a pan until fragrant and they start to sweat.

Remove from heat.

Once cool, grind crush with the side of a knife or grinder and add to the heavy cream, and set aside.

In a food processor, combine flour, salt, and cubed butter until the texture resembles breadcrumbs.

Add the egg yolk and cold water until dough ball forms.

Roll out onto slightly floured surface and form a ½ inch disk.

Wrap in cling film and chill in fridge for 20 minutes.

Preheat oven for 400° F .

Roll chilled dough to about 3/16 inch thick and place in 9 inch tart pan.

Poke holes in the bottom of the tart with a fork.

Fit a sheet of baking paper inside and add pie weights.

Bake for 15 minutes.

Remove weights and paper, and bake for another 12-15 minutes until crisp and golden.

Set aside to cool.

FILLING Chop chocolate and add to a heat proof bowl.

Heat heavy cream and juniper berries on medium-low heat until just simmering.

Pour half of the cream through a strainer over the chocolate.

Cover chocolate bowl for 2-3 minutes.

Mix chocolate until cream is combined (there will still be some chocolate chunks).

Add remaining cream (via strainer) and mix until filling is smooth.

If the chocolate gets too cool, you can slowly heat it up by placing the chocolate bowl in a larger bowl and slowly add hot water to the larger bowl and mix the chocolate until it’s smooth.

Pour filling into shell, pop any bubbles, and chill in fridge for at least an hour (1.5 hours is better).

Cut a thin slice and serve.

Because the only sugar comes from the chocolate, I’d suggest serving it with whipped cream or a little French vanilla ice cream if it is too rich.