This chocolate tart is like no other! The marriage of chocolate and beer may seem strange, but it is absolutely successful when the right kind of beer is used. The Odd Fork used for this a Corfu beer with the poetic name "Ionian Epos" (epos means saga in Greek) ! A Belgian Ale type beer, made by the Corfu Microbrewery especially for winter time!
For the pastry:
- 125 gr butter, cut in small cubes
- 60 gr icing sugar
- vanilla
- salt
- 150 gr all purpose flour
Mix flour, salt and icing sugar into a bowl and add vanilla and butter. Knead until dough is smooth and elastic, adding some cold water if necessary. Shape dough into a ball, wrap it in plastic foil and let it rest in the fridge for 1 hour. Roll the dough out into a circle and place onto a tart pan. Pinch all over the surface with a fork and place in the freezer until firm, about 30 minutes. Frozen dough is less prone to shrinking while baking.
Bake crust for 20 minutes, in a preheated oven, air setting, at 375F/190C for 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove it from the oven and let it cool completely.
For the filling:
- 60 gr brown sugar
- 75 gr walnuts, finely ground
- 60 gr butter
- 80 ml Ionian Epos beer
Just boil for a few minutes all the above ingredients until mixture is smooth and thick, like a thicker butterscotch sauce. When cool, place it evenly over the baked tart crust and keep in the fridge to set.
For the chocolate - beer topping:
- 100 gr dark chocolate finely chopped
- 80 ml Ionian Epos beer
In a saucepan, heat chocolate and beer stirring constantly until chocolate melts and mixture is smooth and unified. Remove form heat and when cool, spread it evenly on tart, all over above the beer - walnut filling. Keep it in the fridge for 4 - 5 hours or overnight, and tart is ready to serve!
Tips: You can use any beer of choice, as long as it has a mild, sweet taste. A stout or Imperial stout could also work great in this dessert! The chocolate - beer topping has a subtle beer aftertaste, ideal for all beer lovers and chocoholics at the same time!
