March 3, 2016

Dulce de Leche and Chocolate Tart, Two Birthdays, and a Potting Party

Natacha Sanz Caballero Desserts and Sweets birthday, chocolate tart, dulce de leche, dulce de leche and chocolate tart, dulce de leche tart, potting party

At the end of February and beginning of March, one week holds two birthdays in our family of five. You will then understand that some Lenten promises take a break, and we pause to celebrate. Two cakes, two special meals, and a whole week of anticipation and celebration. This year, in fact, those two birthdays are extra special: one is a sweet 16, and the other one is a decade-changing birthday (don’t ask me numbers, I don’t like to publicize those big birthdays). To break from the usual birthday cake, and given that I had recently made one for Valentines (click here), I decided to make a dulce de leche and chocolate tart. This tart is sweet (sweeter at least than Spanish desserts usually are). The reason, probably, is that only half of the recipe comes from the “family book” —the crust is my mom’s recipe for pasta quebrada, pate brisée—. The filling is a combination of some other recipes, like the chocolate top, which, with some slight variations, is based on one from David Leibovitz.

So in the middle of winter, even though this is still being a mild winter, the birthdays brighten up the day and the week. More so this year, when my friend Shelby invited me to a potting party. Yes, you read right, we potted plants. The place, Bruce Ewing Design and Landscaping, off a not particularly glamourous or even charming road, and close to train tracks, feels magical the moment you step in. In fact, you forget instantly about the outside sights and are transported to a magical place. The fragance in the air hits you first, and it is followed an instant later by the sight of weathered woods, shabby chic hangings and decor, and the friendly staff making you feel at home. From there you’re led to the potting room, where the square and large potting table, with enough room for the group of friends to gather around it, takes center stage. A gorgeous towering centerpiece anchors it, and a gazillion varieties of spring flowers and bulbs to plant, surround it. But it is the smaller details that stay with me, like the crisp cotton cloth that hugs a small rosemary branch next to the low, wide planters, —some fashioned out of branches, some like tin basins, and all lined with small pebbles—, or the refreshing citrus water sitting next to it at each place, the whole set brings to mind a dinner setting at a very special table.

But the best part of all was spending time with friends, among laughs and jokes and stories. A break in the day of everybody’s busy schedules, to make something beautiful together. I wish I could have stayed longer, take in a few more photos to show you, listened to the lesson on bulb caring, chatted some more with friends I haven’t seen in a while. But motherly duties called —it was the end of the school day—, and I had to leave.

With the help of the knowledgeable staff we all were able to put together gorgeous planters to take home, rich in fragance, in color and in texture. Days later, mine keeps flowering, one surprise at a time, from the hyacynth to the jasmine, whose perfume has taken over our home’s main living area, to the tulips and muscari now opening. Spring is pushing its way into our house, and birthday parties are cheering it on.

DULCE DE LECHE AND CHOCOLATE TART

Tarta de Dulce de Leche y Chocolate

Ingredients:

          For crust

2 cups flour

8 Tbs unsalted butter, diced and chilled

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup icing sugar

3 egg yolks

2 Tbs iced water (if necessary)

            For filling

1 can (13.4 oz) dulce de leche

8 ounces bittersweet chocolate chips

2 large eggs

1 Tbs butter

1 1/4 cups whole milk

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Flaky sea salt or kosher salt, for sprinkling

Whipped cream or Creme Fraiche, for serving (optional) (for recipe click here)

 

Method

          For the crust:

In a large bowl, sift the flour, icing sugar and salt. Add the butter. Using your fingertips, or a handheld dough blender, incorporate the butter into the flour mixture until it becomes crumbly.

Make a well in the center and add the egg yolks. Incorporate with your fingertips, or with the handheld blender, until a dough forms (if necessary, add 1 or 2 Tbs of iced water).

On a floured work surface, pat the dough into a 1-inch-thick disk. Wrap the disk in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the dough into a 1/8 inch thick round about 2 inches in diameter wider than the bottom of the pan. Ease the dough round into a tart pan with a removable bottom. Rolling the rolling pin over the pan will easily trim any overhanging dough. Prick the bottom of the dough with a fork, cover with plastic wrap and freeze for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven the 375ºF. Line the frozen pie with parchment paper and fill with pie weights or dry beans. Bake for about 15 minutes. Remove the weights and the parchment paper and bake for about 8 minutes longer, until the edges become golden.

Remove the tart from the oven and let cool for a minimum of 2 hours before filling.

          For the filling:

While the tart is baking, make the chocolate filling. Melt the chocolate in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Once melted, add the butter and mix with a spatula or with a wooden spoon. Remove the bowl from the heat.

In a bowl, whisk the eggs. Heat the milk in a saucepan over medium heat and gradually incorporate the eggs. Cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until it thickens slightly, about 3 minutes. Place a fine mesh strainer over the bowl containing the chocolate and pour the milk and egg mixture through it into the chocolate. Add the vanilla and stir until smooth.

Spread the dulce de leche over the hot tart shell in an even layer (the heat of the tart shell will soften the dulce de leche a bit, making it easier to spread). Pour the chocolate custard over the dulce de leche and smooth the top. Bake the tart for 20 minutes, then turn the heat off and leave the tart in the oven with the door closed for another 35 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool before serving.

Serve the tart with whipped cream or with creme fraiche, or just as is.