Ruby Chocolate Tart

Instructions:

Before you start on your tart crust, you must separate your egg yolk from your egg white. First, find a small bowl and a small sealable container and have them ready. Break your egg very gently, so as to not pierce the yolk. After it’s broken, hold the egg over your sealable container and pour it into your hand very gingerly. Allow the egg whites to fall from the spaces between your fingers and down into the container. Pass the egg yolk between your hands very gently until all the white has fallen into the container. Then gently set the remaining yolk into your small bowl. Set the small bowl aside.

Whisk your egg yolk together with your tablespoon of heavy cream and vanilla extract. Set aside.

In another large mixing bowl, add your flour and salt. Cut your cold butter into chunks and add it as well.

Cut the butter into the flour using a pastry cutter, a fork, or your own hands if you’re not too warm. You want to keep the butter cold while you cut them together, and it can take up to 10 minutes to combine them. You’ll know when the dough is ready once it’s reached the texture of damp sand.

Once the dough is ready, add your liquid ingredients in and mix until just combined.

Press the dough into a tight disk and wrap it well. Put it in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

After an hour has passed, place it on the counter for 10 minutes or so to help it unthaw a bit.

Roll it out on a floured surface, creating a sheet a little bigger than your tart pan.

Plop it in your tart pan and press it firmly into all sides and grooves, making sure it keeps a fairly even thickness throughout.

Once the dough is in your tart pan, set it in the freezer for 30 minutes.

After you put the tart dough in the freezer, set your oven to 350°F.

When the 30 minutes passes and your oven is ready, pull your tart out of the freezer and cover with a sheet of aluminum foil. This will keep it from getting too brown or burnt in the oven.

Bake your tart for 30 minutes covered, rotating it at the 15-minute mark. Then remove the foil and bake for another 5 to 10 minutes, until golden brown on the edges.

Once it’s done baking, remove it from the oven and allow it to cool completely before you begin filling it.

While it’s cooling, you can make your ganache.

To begin making your ganache, start by melting the chocolate using a double boiler. If you don’t have a double boiler, you can make one using a large pot and a heat-safe bowl that fits on top of the pot without falling inside of it.

Take the large pot and fill it up halfway with water. Bring the water to a boil and place the heat-safe bowl over the pot.

Break your chocolate into pieces and put it in the bowl. Let it sit for a few minutes to warm up, then stir constantly as it melts to keep any chocolate from burning on the bottom.

Once all the chocolate is melted, remove it from the heat.

Add your heavy cream and stir until everything is fully combined.

Pour the ganache into your tart shell and smooth it into an even layer. Allow it to cool for 30 minutes before you add any decoration on top.

Allow it to cool another 2 to 3 hours before serving.