Using fresh fruit and bittersweet chocolate keep this tart treat on our "healthy holiday" list. A great way to use up the bushels of apples you picked this fall and a fun alternative for those pumpkin pie-haters this Thanksgiving.
Ingredients
Chocolate Tart Dough
- 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate
- 6 ounces walnuts, finely chopped
- 2 ounces sugar
- 2 ounces egg whites
- Pinch of salt
Cranberry-apple jam
- 12 ounces cranberries
- 7 ounces sugar
- 5 ounces apples (preferably a tart, crisp variety, peeled and sliced)
Directions
For chocolate walnut tart shell:
- Melt chocolate gently on top of a double boiler.
- Combine sugar, egg whites and salt. Whisk thoroughly to completely disperse sugar and break down proteins in eggwhites.
- Whisk melted chocolate into egg white mixture.
- Fold chopped walnuts into chocolate-egg white mixture.
- Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, about 30minutes.
- Press evenly into 9-inch tart pan with removable bottom.
- Bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes, until completely set.
For cranberry-apple jam:
- Combine sugar and water in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil.
- Add cranberries and cook until they begin to pop and thicken.
- While cooking cranberries, peel and slice apples.
- Add sliced apples to cranberries after removing cranberry jam from heat; the residual heat will complete the cooking process.
- Pour into fully baked chocolate shell and chill thoroughly.
- Slice tart into 12 pieces.
Yield: One 9-inch tart (12 servings at about3 oz.each)
