Kim of Scrumptious Photography chose Dorie’s Chocolate Cream Tart for us to make this week. Great choice, but I almost didn’t make it. I didn’t have time, really, what with just having done Cookie Carnival and the Daring Baker’s Challenge. I needed a break. But I hate missing Tuesdays With Dorie. It’s the one thing I know that ties me to all of the other great bakers out there on a weekly basis. And, truth be told…even the recipes from Baking:From My Home to Yours that I am not entirely crazy about are still really damn good.
But a Chocolate Cream Tart? Dorie herself compares it to a piece of chocolate pie you would find at a roadside diner. Let me interject here and state the obvious to anyone who made this tart: Are you wondering where on Earth this Roadside Diner is? I mean, for crying out loud – this tart is nothing like a typical diner pie. It is unbelieveable. Truly unbelieveable. I have never had a chocolate pie like this. Ever.
I had a bit of a difficult time with the chocolate tart crust. It was my first time making it, and without a food processor (I know, Susan, pony up and just buy one already) it was a little troublesome for me. It felt too dry and crumbly, so I of course read FAIL. I was wrong. It turned out uber tasty. I pressed it into 4 tartelette pans and baked them off for about 15 minutes, then filled them with the chilled filling. I took a chance and made the filling using half dark chocolate and half Chocolate Orange from Lindt. Oh my, that was a good idea. Just a subtle hint of orange hiding in the silky pudding….yum.
Now, I did not make the whipped topping. I have always loved meringue on top of a pie, and becuase the recipe called for 5 egg yolks, I had 5 eggs whites I needed to do something with. Hence, a big fluffy meringue is perched atop my tarts. I flavored the meringue with a little bit of vanilla as well as a splash of orange extract, which totally changed up the taste of it. So good. I wish all of you could have a bite!
Instead, I am offering you a chance to make it yourself…just comment here and let me know your absolute favorite chocolate to use for baking, and then the chocolate you actually use because your favorite is too expensive. I’ll choose a winner (not by random – my favorite answer!) and announce it via Twitter on Friday, May 1st…which means – Follow Me, people. You’ll win an assortment of chocolate bars from Lindt, Ghiradelli, Frey and World Market (and who knows what else?) So Comment!Good Luck!
Check back tomorrow for another Giveaway – my Blogiversary is Friday and I’ll be giving away a prize a day until then!
{ 25 comments… read them below or add one }
I almost always use Ghiradelli because it is easy to get and not too shabby in the taste department. I don’t know that I really have a true favorite. I guess I would say Lindt because they have so many different flavors.
Great job on the tartlets! Love the meringue!
What wonderful changes you made to this recipe! That meringue is beautiful! I thought it was a real winner.
My favority chcolate for baking is Valrhona, but my stand by is Ghirardelli.
Happy blogiversary!
Oh Susan, those tarts look to die for!! I so love anything chocolate. I have Dorie’s book (didn’t make it into the club before the shut off
) and will definitely have to make this one. As for fav chocolate, Lindt or Ghiradelli, but I (head hung low, eyes downcast) have to admit I usually use Hershey’s or Nestle’s when I bake.
My favourite chocolate to use for baking is the kind I actually use – dark chocolate disks that we get through our annual bulk food order. They’re not the absolute best chocolate I’ve ever tasted, although I do really like them, but they’re fair trade and organic and I like feeling like I’m doing my part (even if it’s just in a small way).
Oh my gosh, orange?? YUMMO! And gorgeous with the meringue, nice job! We LOVED this cream tart, so awesome. In my top 3 faves!
My favorite chocolate to bake with is Guittard, but normally I just use the Nestle brand.
What a beautiful tart- chocolate orange meringue? You must work really well on a deadline.
I love Vahlrona but often use ghirardelli if I find it on sale or TJ’s Pound Plus.
great idea with the orange!!! Yum!
beautiful photos
This tart is way beyond any roadside diner, but Dorie does live in France part of the year, and it wouldn’t surprise me to fine this delicious tart at a roadside stop there. The meringue looks so pretty on your tarts – perfectly toasted.
My money-is-no-object chocolate choice is Valhrona, but my reality chocolate is really, really good. I use Guittard. Generally I have large quantities of 72% Coucher du Soleil on hand. The best part about my chocolate stash is my source. http://WWW.chocolateman.net who happens to be in Seattle, so I don’t have to mail order it. The best part about buying from him is it feels like such a clandestine operation. I place the call, which could go something like, “Hey man, I need a fix, can I pick it up in the morning?” Then I drive North and wind through a heavily wooded neighborhood, down a windy little street and pull up to an unmarked house. Without even turning the car off, I run in and return with my brown box filled with delicious chocolate. I really wonder what his neighbors think; lots of cars zooming up and leaving minutes later with brown boxes. Hum. I generally don’t even make it a block before sampling the goods. I need to go make a phone call now.
Lovely tart! It depends on what I am baking, but I like E. Guittard, Ghiradelli, Valrona, Lindt, ok…I just like chocolate:)
Your tarts look amazing.
I love Scharffen Berger chocolate. Since we bought an old farmhouse in the middle of nowhere, I can’t get my hands on it as often as I use to. Ghirardelli is my stand by. The chocolate man in Seattle sounds like something I need to look into!
my favorite…whatever happens to be on sale
times are tough so i have to watch every dollar.
that pie looks DIVINE!
Love your hint of orange tart with amazingly looking meringue!
My favorite chocolate is the brown kind.
I’m more semi-sweet than bitter!
Your tarts look amazing!
Love the tarts! They look fantastic with the meringue. I need to find something to do with my leftover egg whites!
I love the meringue on your tarts. I bet it tasted wonderful.
I always use Ghirardelli because it is affordable and available!
My favorite chocolate to use (and to eat) is from a Berkeley, CA-based chocolate company called Scharffen Berger. When I was going on college tours I looked at UC Berkeley, and as a fun aside my mother and I decided to go on a tour of their Berkeley factory. We got samples of the chocolate, and it is by far some of the best I’ve ever tasted. We were only be able to bring a couple bars home with us, but I savored it while I could!
Usually, though, I’m reduced to using Nestle or Baker’s chocolate. Whatever is cheapest on the baking isle is what goes into the cart.
You know, I have one of those Lindt bars in my pantry and I didn’t even think about using it! Silly me. This was a really great dessert, wasn’t it?? Yours look beautiful.
The chocolate tarts look fabulous! I think I feel a craving coming on…
Ghirardelli is the most extravagant that I’ve gotten with my baking, which means that I usually use Baker’s or Nestle. Whichever is on sale at the time.
chocolate + orange + meringue = heaven
Actually my favorite chocolate is Dove. It’s so freakin smooth and creamy. But I never remember that when I’m at the grocery store! I always end up buying what’s cheapest… =/
I am always trying different kinds of chocolate…but I love Askinosie and Ghiradelli….
Yum. This is a great giveaway….Thanks!
Tania
I use Ghirardelli or Green and Black’s for the most part, but once in a while I splurge and get some chocolate from Dagoba!
Those tarts looks fabulous! But then again I’m craving chocolate right now, or maybe I’m always craving chocolate!
I love love Godiva chocolate bars to bake with but they are sooooo expensive because I have to drive to Seattle to get them but they are so good. I buy up a bunch around holidays for chocolate recipes because that is special occasion for Godiva chocolate.
I usually use Lindt or Ghiradelli chocolates for basic baking. They are still on the expensive side, but I like chocolate desserts that actually have a wonderful taste of chocolate. I do not usually go cheap on chocolate since it is one of my favorite things to bake with and baked goods are supposed to be decadent hence my justification of spending extra.
OOOO!!! Chocolate meringue pie, eh, tart. Looks great. And with the orange. Fantastic.