Chocolate Tart with Strawberries

When I serve this dish, people are always so impressed. What I love is that they would never guess how easy it is to make. This rich chocolate tart has less than ten ingredients, can easily be made up to a day in advance, and only takes 15 minutes to prepare. Using 60% semi-sweet chocolate give this dessert a super decadent chocolate flavor.  Fresh whipped cream and sweet strawberries perfectly balance the richness of this dish.

Serves 12.

·      5 ounces chocolate wafer cookies

·      6 tablespoons unsalted butter

·      1 cup heavy whipping cream

·      1 tablespoon orange zest

·      12 ounces 60% bitter-sweet chocolate, such as Ghirardelli

·      1-pint strawberries-sliced

·      Fresh whipped cream

1.     Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a fluted tart tin or spring-form pan with cooking spray.

2.     Using a food processor or rolling pin, crush the cookies until they reach a fine, sand-like consistency. To the crushed cookies, add 5 tablespoons of melted butter and mix until combined. Using your fingers press the cookie mixture into the bottom and sides of the prepared, dish to create an even crust. Bake for 10 minutes.

3.     Heat cream to a boil in a small sauce pan. Immediately reduce heat and add orange zest to the cream. Simmer over low heat for 5 minutes.

4.     Remove pan from heat and add chocolate. Stir constantly until completely melted and smooth. Stir in the remaining tablespoon of butter.

5.     Pour chocolate filling into the baked crust and refrigerate at least 1 hour or until firm.

6.     Top with whipped cream and strawberries. Serve chilled or at room temperature.