This smooth, decadent autumn tart brings together four flavors that love to hang out together: chocolate, pear, cardamom and hazelnut. Earthy, rich and warming, just a thin slice is all you need to feel satisfied, although we are pretty sure you won’t stop at just one. Consider your weekend luxury sorted!
Nourish notes: One of the recommendations for eating a more planet-friendly diet is to try and reduce the amount of dairy products we consume. A classic chocolate ganache recipe relies on heavy cream and butter, so for this planet-forward dairy-free version we swapped them out for coconut milk and unrefined coconut oil. You get the same lush creamy ganache texture that sets perfectly and melts instantly on contact with your tongue. The dark chocolate is rich enough to mask any tropical notes from the coconut milk, meaning that die-hard dairy lovers can not tell the difference.
Make sure that your chocolate, cocoa powder and coconut products come from a sustainable source where the beans and coconuts are not grown on deforested land (which actually has a bigger carbon footprint than low impact beef.) In France we love Kaoka chocolate who have committed to combating deforestation in the countries where their beans are grown (we have no affiliation with the company). A quick web search for products local to you will lead you in the right direction: companies that are doing the right thing really want to tell you about it!
Pear and Chocolate Truffle Tart
Makes 1 28-inch tart | Equipment : a blender or a food processor, a 11-inch (28 cm) pie dish with a removable bottom
Ingredients
Pastry base
2/3 cup (70 g) hazelnuts
2 tablespoons buckwheat groats
A scant 1 1/4 cups (150 g) oat flour
2/3 cup (75 g) sticky rice flour
(or use 225 g spelt flour to replace the oat and rice flour)
5 tablespoons (30 g) unsweetened cocoa powder
10 tablespoons (150 g) unrefined coconut oil plus a teaspoon for greasing the pie dish
2 tablespoons honey
Filling
10 ounces (300 g) dark chocolate (at least 70%), finely chopped
1 cup (250 ml) coconut milk
1 1/2 tablespoons honey
1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 1/2 tablespoons coconut oil
3 small pears, peeled, halved, cores removed and cut into thick slices
1 tablespoon cocoa powder and a pinch of cardamom powder for dusting
Method
1. Center a rack in the oven and preheat to (350°F) 175°C. With one teaspoon of the coconut oil, grease the bottom and sides of the pie dish.
2. To make the base – Place the hazelnuts and buckwheat groats in the food processor, and blend to a fine powder. Add the flours and cocoa powder and process again until combined. Add the coconut oil and honey and pulse until the mixture begins to come together as a dough. It will be soft and slightly wet but shouldn’t stick to your fingers.
3. Transfer the dough to the pie dish. With the tips of your fingers gently press the dough across the bottom of the dish and up the sides until evenly covered. Prick the base all over with a fork and place in the refrigerate for 30 minutes to harden up. Once firm, place in the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes.
4. To make the filling – Place the chocolate in a large metal bowl. In a small saucepan, combine the cream, honey and cardamom. Whisk to combine and bring just to a boil over low heat. If the pears are not quite ripe, place the slices into the coconut milk mixture and gently simmer until you can easily pierce it with a knife (if ripe, use the slices fresh). Strain the coconut milk setting the cooked pear slices aside.
5. Pour one-third of the hot coconut mixture over the chocolate. Working rapidly with a silicone spatula or wooden spoon, mix to obtain a smooth and glossy texture. Gradually add the remaining mixture, making sure to maintain the emulsion, until the chocolate has completely melted and you have reached a uniform texture. Stir in the coconut oil and mix thoroughly one more time.
6. When the pie crust has completely cooled, arrange the pear slices in concentric circles around the base. Cover with the chocolate ganache mixture, evening out the surface with a spatula. Place in the refrigerator to harden for at least an hour.
7. To serve, dust with the top of the tart with cocoa power using a tea strainer and sprinkle with a pinch of cardamom. Cut into thin slices and serve.
This is a Nourish the Planet recipe, part of a collaborative series by Patricia Wells and Emily Buchanan.
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Find our more here about why we created this series.