Disclaimer no.1: This buckwheat chocolate and chestnut tart is NOT healthy. It is, however, one of these desserts that with the first bite excite you the most. One of these sweet treats whose you eat each spoonful slowly, because you want to feel and enjoy all the different aromas, textures and flavors that you get. The layers of caramel, chestnut and chocolate cream, and buckwheat crust, combine perfectly nutty and sweet flavors. A! I shouldn’t forget! It is gluten-free! 😉
Warning no.2: It is time consuming. In essence, you make four preparations; the base, the caramel, the chestnut cream and the chocolate ganache. It takes a lot of time, but believe me, it’s worth every minute of it!
I decided to make this recipe when I accidentally fell on the original recipe while surfing on the web. The combination of chocolate and chestnut is one of my favorites and the recipe was really promising. The minimalist appearance, which contrasts with the super-rich flavor, was a challenge for me. I have often expressed my worship in confectionery. The fact that I follow a healthy diet and choose more “clean” foods in my daily life, does not mean that I am not cheating now and then. If I don’t admit it, I would not be honest with you. But my cheating is about this kind of desserts, which offer me pleasure, not only when I taste it, but when I make, as well. And I want to share with you that side of mine, too. 🙂
I had no intention to change anything from the original recipe, which is why I hadn’t decide whether or not to publish. But in course I had to make some adjustments in the crust and to simplify some other things and the result was great. The original recipe said that we should let the dough in the refrigerator for 1 hour, as we usually do with these doughs, but unfortunately after that the dough was unpliable and impossible to roll. I had to melt some more butter and knead the dough again, so it becomes more soft and pliable. I did not let it stay in the refrigerator again; in the contrary I line the spring form tin immediately, and it came out perfect. The leveling of the dough to the spring form wants a little attention, since the edges of the tart should be 4.5 to 5 cm. / 2in. tall.
Then, I had to simplify some other things, because, you see, the time I was buried among dirty bowls, spatulas, scales and pots, the stove broke…. And no, I didn’t give up … I just finished with the %^@#!, lit a very small gas stove we have and finished the tart. I couldn’t stand not finishing it!
- 240 g. buckwheat flour
- 10g. cocoa powder, unsweetened
- 2 medium eggs, lightly beaten
- 140 g. butter, melted
- 100 g. brown sugar
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 pinch of salt
- 250 g. caster sugar
- 280 g. mascarpone cheese, at room temperature
- 2 pinches of salt
- 250 g. chestnut puree
- 200 g. mascarpone cheese, at room temperature
- 100 g. cooked and peeled chestnuts
- 50 g. butter, melted
- 120 g. chocolate (72% cocoa), cut into pieces
- 1 tablespoon rum or brandy
- 150 g. chocolate (72% cocoa), cut into pieces
- 225 ml of cream (34% fat) at room temperature
- 1 pinch of salt
- Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Pour buckwheat flour and roast for 5 - 10 minutes, until you get a light color and it smells like roasted nuts.
- Remove from heat and sift the flour into a large bowl to cool down.
- Sift the cocoa into the bowl and add the butter. Knead briefly until the butter is absorbed by the flour and add the nutmeg, cloves and zest.
- Mix some more dough with your hands and add eggs, sugar and salt. Knead until you have a soft and pliable dough.
- Lay the dough in a spring form tin, 24 cm in diameter, taking care so the edges of the dough to have a height 4.5 - 5 cm.
- Prick all over the dough surface, the edges as well, with a fork.
- Moisten very lightly a piece of greaseproof paper, drain it well and press it on the dough, covering it.
- Bake the base in a preheated oven at 175o C for 20 minutes and check if the paper can come off the dough and doesn’t stick. If it does come off, remove the papaer and bake for another 15 minutes.
- Let the crust cool on a wire rack.
- While the crust cools, prepare the caramel by putting sugar in a pan, over medium-high heat to dissolve. Allow the sugar to completely dissolve and becomes dark caramel.
- Remove from heat and add the cheese, spoon by spoon, stirring constantly with a wire (be careful not to burn yourself). Mix well so as not to leave any small pieces of cheese to the caramel.
- Pour the caramel over the baked base and allow cooling.
- In a large bowl, mix the chestnut puree, rum and mascarpone cheese.
- In another small bowl, mix the cooked chestnuts with melted butter and mash them. Add to the mixture of chestnut puree - cheese and mix well either with a wire or with a hand mixer for finest results.
- Melt the chocolate in a bain-marie and add to the chestnut cream. Stir well.
- Apply the chestnut cream evenly over the, already cold, caramel.
- In a bain-marie add the cream, chocolate and salt, stirring now and then. Once the chocolate is melted, stir thoroughly. Evenly spread the ganache over the chestnut cream.
- Put the tart for 30 minutes in the refrigerator before serving.
- The pie is getting better by time. The second day was better and the third even better.
- I didn’t put the tart in the refrigerator again. I don’t think it is needed during the winter.
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