Dark Chocolate Pistachio Tart (Printable)
A rich French-style tart with silky dark chocolate ganache in a buttery pistachio crust.
# What You'll Need:
→ Pistachio Crust
01 - 4.2 oz shelled unsalted pistachios
02 - 4.2 oz all-purpose flour
03 - 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
04 - 1/4 teaspoon 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), chopped
08 - 3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon heavy cream
09 - 1 oz unsalted butter, diced
10 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
→ Decoration
11 - 2 tablespoons chopped pistachios
12 - Flaky sea salt to taste
# Directions:
01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Position the rack in the center of the oven.
02 - Place shelled pistachios in a food processor and pulse until finely ground, taking care not to over-process into a paste.
03 - Add the all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, and salt to the ground pistachios. Pulse several times until evenly combined.
04 - Add the cold cubed butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with pea-sized pieces of butter throughout.
05 - Add the egg yolk and pulse just until the dough begins to come together. Avoid overworking.
06 - Press the dough evenly across the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch tart pan with a removable base, ensuring uniform thickness.
07 - Refrigerate the pressed crust for 20 minutes to firm up the butter and prevent shrinking during baking.
08 - Prick the chilled crust several times with a fork to release steam. Bake for 13 to 15 minutes until lightly golden. Allow to cool completely on a wire rack.
09 - Pour the heavy cream into a small saucepan and warm over medium heat until it just begins to simmer around the edges. Do not boil.
10 - Place the chopped dark chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and let it rest undisturbed for 2 minutes.
11 - Add the diced butter and vanilla extract to the bowl. Stir gently in small circular motions starting from the center until the ganache is smooth, glossy, and completely emulsified.
12 - Pour the ganache into the cooled tart shell. Use an offset spatula to smooth the surface evenly.
13 - Refrigerate the tart for a minimum of 3 hours, or until the ganache is fully set and firm to the touch.
14 - Sprinkle the top with chopped pistachios and a light scattering of flaky sea salt just before serving. Slice with a warm knife for clean edges.
# Expert Hints:
01 -
- The pistachio crust alone is worth making this tart, because it shatters between your teeth with a buttery nuttiness that store bought shells never achieve.
- The ganache sets into something halfway between fudge and silk, and it requires zero tempering or candy thermometers.
- It looks like it came from a Parisian patisserie but only asks for about forty minutes of actual hands on work.
02 -
- If the dough feels too crumbly to press into the pan, add a few drops of ice water and pulse again rather than forcing dry crumbles into the tin.
- The ganache will seize and turn grainy if any water gets into the bowl, so make sure your spatula and bowl are completely dry before stirring.
03 -
- To get perfectly clean slices, run your knife under hot water, dry it quickly, and cut in one confident motion, repeating between every single cut.
- The single biggest secret to this tart is using chocolate you would happily eat on its own, because nothing else determines the flavor as much as that one ingredient.