Chocolate and Raspberries Are Perfect Pair for Dessert

Chocolate Raspberry Tart

Flavor-wise, dark chocolate and raspberries play beautifully together. And good news! Both are excellent sources of antioxidants. This recipe is NOT from any of my cookbooks, but I thought it looked so delicious I tweaked it a bit for you. You can have your chocolate, especially if you focus on a high cocoa content and pair it with some high fiber, nutrient-dense berries.

Benefits

Chocolate bars with over 70 percent cocoa are rich in flavonoids, which are potent antioxidants found in cocoa. Raspberries are also rich in flavonoids and antioxidant vitamins such as vitamin C. So, as indulgent as this dessert is, you’re getting a good dose of antioxidants to fight those cell-aging free radicals!

Ingredients

Yields 8 servings

Chocolate Crust

1 cup all-purpose flour

½ cup almond flour

2 Tbs. cocoa powder

⅓ cups confectioners’ sugar

½ tsp. salt

½ cup butter, cubed and chilled

1 egg, large

4 Tbs. water, cold

Raspberry Gelée

2 cups frozen raspberries

5 Tbs. confectioners’ sugar

1 Tbs. gelatin powder

Dark Chocolate Topping

2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips OR better yet, chopped

bittersweet chocolate bars with 70% cocoa content

½ cup butter, cubed

1 cup heavy cream

1 cup fresh raspberries for garnish

Instructions

Chocolate Crust

1. Lightly grease a 15×10-inch rectangular tart pan (or 9-inch round tart pan) with removable bottom. Set it aside.

2. Place flour, cocoa, confectioners’ sugar and salt in a food processor. Pulse until combined. Add butter and egg. Pulse a few times until butter is worked into dry ingredients. Add 1 tablespoon of cold water and pulse until combined. If dough is too dry, add an additional tablespoon of cold water and pulse again. Do this until mixture becomes crumbly. NOTE: Be careful to not make mixture too wet.

3. Pour chocolate crust mixture into prepared tart pan. Press the dough across the bottom and up the sides of the pan. Chill for one hour.

4. Once chocolate crust has sufficiently chilled, preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

5. Lightly prick the bottom of the dough with a fork. Line the crust with parchment paper and fill with pie weights (such as beans, or chickpeas). Bake 20 minutes. Remove pie weights (if you added on top of pie crust) and continue baking for an additional 10 minutes. Remove from oven and cool completely.

Raspberry Gelée

1. Add frozen raspberries and sugar to a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring often.

2. While waiting for the raspberry/sugar mixture to boil, prepare the gelatin. In a small bowl, sprinkle gelatin powder over ⅓ cup of water. Set aside for approx. 5 minutes.

3. Remove the raspberry/sugar mixture from heat and carefully pour into a fine-mesh sieve set over a large bowl. Press down on the raspberries so the juices drain into the bowl. Discard seeds.

4. Add the gelatin to the bowl of strained raspberry/sugar. Stir to incorporate.

5. Allow raspberry gelée to cool until it has firmed slightly (approx. 5 minutes). Pour raspberry gelée over cooled chocolate crust, spreading it evenly. Chill for 1 hour.

Dark Chocolate Topping

1. Pour the bittersweet chocolate chips (or chopped chocolate bars) in a medium-sized heat-safe bowl. Set aside.

2. In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Once the butter has melted, add the heavy cream. Bring to a gentle simmer, stirring constantly.

3. Once the heavy cream mixture is simmering, immediately pour over the chocolate chips. Cover and let sit for 5 minutes.

4. After 5 minutes, whisk chocolate mixture until smooth. Pour over the chilled tart and carefully spread to the edges.

5. Allow tart to chill for a minimum of 2 hours. Garnish generously with fresh raspberries, slice and serve.