Chocolate Glazed Chocolate Tart

Not too long ago, we acquired a new family member. No, no - not in the way you're thinking. She is called Siri. You know Siri, Apple's voice recognition tool. In the morning, when my husband wakes up, he turns to his phone, and, in a gentle tone reserved only for Siri, asks:

"Hey Siri, what time is it?"

"The time is 7:30 am", says Siri in her flat toned, American accent. 

Sometimes, when he's misplaced his phone, he asks, 

"Hey Siri, where are you?", as you might ask a loved one.

"Right here",  she says, without missing a beat. 

Siri and I have never really gotten along. I think her early rejection of my Indian accent is at least partly to blame. 

"Sorry, I didn't catch that", she'd say, no matter what the query.

Apparently, even Siri needs practice to become perfect. The more you talk to her, the better she's going to understand your accent, says my husband. How I wish I had the patience to try and become friends with unflappable Siri.

Siri's rejection of my Indian accent is the least of our problems, of course. These times we live in - they are difficult times. Cooking, I think, helps. And I'm not the only one who thinks so.

Here's what Sam Sifton said in today's edition of The New York Times:

"It’s important, what you make to eat. “Sometimes it is the only worthwhile product you can salvage from a day,” John Irving wrote. It’s not like writing, where you can labor for hours and end up with nothing. It’s not like love. Maybe not like politics, either. “Cooking,” Mr. Irving wrote, “can keep a person who tries hard sane.”

I couldn't agree more. So, in an effort to stay sane, I'm going to continue testing new tricks in the kitchen, and continue writing about them here.

Here's an attempt that worked fabulously. It's a recipe for a chocolate tart with a chocolate glaze. It's really rich, so be stingy, and serve thin slices. Even though I like chocolate, I found that some sort of complement - whipped cream or berries - is necessary to cut through the richness of the chocolate. I would have liked to use raspberries for their visual appeal, but the local supermarket was out of raspberries, so I used blackberries instead. And pistachios, which were sitting around in the kitchen cupboard, waiting to be used. It worked. Here's the recipe. 

Chocolate Glazed Chocolate Tart (adapted from here)

Serves 10-12 

For crust:
13.5 (5- by 2 1/4-inch) chocolate graham crackers (not chocolate-covered), finely ground (I used Nabisco brand)
8-10 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted (as needed)
1/4 cup sugar, finely ground alongwith the crackers

For filling:
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
9 ounces semisweet chocolate chips (approx. 1.5 cups)
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt

For glaze: (I doubled the original recipe to make for a thicker glaze based on reviews)
4 tablespoons heavy cream
approx 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
2 teaspoon blue agave syrup
2 tablespoon warm water

Blackberries (cut in halfway, lengthwise) and chopped pistachios, for garnish (optional)

Equipment:
a 9-inch round fluted tart pan (1 inch deep) (I used a regular cake pan)

PREPARATION
Make crust:
Preheat oven to 225°F with rack in middle.

Stir together all ingredients and press evenly onto bottom and 1 inch up side of pan. I found that more butter than called for the recipe was needed to work with the mixture and have it all come together. Bake until firm, about 15 minutes. Cool on a rack 15 to 20 minutes.

Make filling:
Bring cream to a boil, then pour over chocolate in a bowl and let stand 5 minutes. Gently stir until smooth. Whisk together eggs, vanilla, and salt in another bowl, then stir into melted chocolate.
Pour filling into cooled crust. Bake until filling is set about 3 inches from edge but center is still wobbly, 20 to 25 minutes. It took me around 20. (Center will continue to set as tart cools.) The original recipe requires that the tart be cooled completely in pan on rack, about 1 hour. I just poured the glaze on top, without waiting the hour out. 

Make glaze:
Bring cream to a boil and remove from heat. Stir in chocolate until smooth. Stir in agave syrup, then warm water. 

Pour glaze onto tart, then tilt and rotate tart so glaze coats top evenly. Let stand until glaze is set, about 1 hour. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours, and serve, cut into wedges.