Dark Chocolate Pistachio Tart (Printer-friendly)
French pistachio crust filled with silky dark chocolate ganache, finished with toasted nuts and sea salt.
# What You’ll Need:
→ Pistachio Crust
01 - 4.2 oz shelled unsalted pistachios
02 - 1 cup all-purpose flour
03 - 2 tbsp granulated sugar
04 - 1/4 tsp kosher salt
05 - 3 oz unsalted butter, cold and cubed
06 - 1 large egg yolk
→ Dark Chocolate Ganache Filling
07 - 7 oz dark chocolate (60–70% cocoa), finely chopped
08 - 3/4 cup plus 1 tbsp heavy cream
09 - 1 oz unsalted butter, diced
10 - 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
→ Decoration
11 - 2 tbsp chopped pistachios
12 - Flaky sea salt, to taste
# How-To Guide:
01 - Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Position the rack in the center of the oven.
02 - Add the shelled pistachios to a food processor and pulse until finely ground, being careful not to over-process into a paste.
03 - Add the all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, and kosher salt to the ground pistachios. Pulse several times until evenly combined.
04 - Scatter the cold cubed butter over the flour mixture. Pulse in short bursts until the texture resembles coarse meal with a few pea-sized pieces remaining.
05 - Add the egg yolk and pulse until the dough just begins to clump together when pinched between your fingers.
06 - Transfer the dough to a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Press it firmly and evenly across the base and up the sides to form a uniform shell.
07 - Place the assembled crust in the refrigerator and chill for at least 20 minutes to firm up the butter and prevent shrinking during baking.
08 - Prick the chilled crust several times with a fork to allow steam to escape. Bake for 13 to 15 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.
09 - Pour the heavy cream into a small saucepan and set it over medium heat. Warm until the cream just begins to simmer around the edges — do not let it come to a full boil.
10 - Place the chopped dark chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Pour the hot cream directly over the chocolate and let it sit undisturbed for 2 minutes to soften.
11 - Add the diced butter and vanilla extract to the bowl. Stir gently in concentric circles starting from the center outward until the ganache is completely smooth, glossy, and free of any lumps.
12 - Pour the ganache into the fully cooled tart shell. Use an offset spatula to smooth the surface into an even layer.
13 - Refrigerate the tart for a minimum of 3 hours, or until the ganache is firmly set and no longer jiggles when gently shaken.
14 - Just before serving, scatter chopped pistachios over the surface and finish with a light sprinkling of flaky sea salt. Slice into wedges and serve chilled.
# Expert Advice:
01 -
- The pistachio crust tastes like something you would find in a tiny Parisian bakery that only locals know about.
- The ganache sets into this impossibly smooth, dense layer that makes people close their eyes when they take a bite.
- It looks wildly impressive but honestly most of the work is waiting for things to chill.
02 -
- The crust dough is crumbly by nature and will not look like traditional pie dough when it comes together. Trust the process and press it firmly into the pan with your fingers.
- Letting the cream sit on the chocolate before stirring is not optional. Those two minutes of patience are what give you a silky emulsion instead of a grainy mess.
03 -
- The single biggest improvement you can make is using high quality dark chocolate with at least 60 percent cocoa content because there are so few ingredients and every one of them counts.
- Do not stir the ganache aggressively after adding the butter. Gentle, slow folding from the center outward keeps the texture silky and prevents air bubbles from marring the surface.