Spicy Chocolate Tart with Ginger Almonds

I promised a spicy chocolate tart recipe, and have ever gone back on a blog promise (don't answer that)?  This tart is ridiculously good.  The texture is velvety, and its chocolatiness deep and rich, but it's cut with heat from cayenne pepper and crystallized ginger.


A simple gingersnap crust echoes the filling's spice, and topping it with ginger-cayenne almonds (I used Fat Uncle Farms' Ass-Kickin' Ginger Almonds) brings the whole thing home.  The filling recipe is based on a Mast Brothers chocolate-on-chocolate tart that appeared in Bon Appetit a few months back.  They topped theirs with maple almonds, but ours is better.


Seriously.  Make this.  You'll swoon.

Spicy Chocolate Tart with Ginger Almonds

The original recipe called for a 9-inch tart dish, but I did great with a 9-inch springform pan.

The crust:
40 ginger snaps
1/2 stick butter (1/4 cup), melted
pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 300F.

Grind snaps in the food processor.  Add butter, process to combine.  Press into 9 inch tart dish or springform pan.  Bake for 15 minutes.  Allow to cool.



The filling:
1/2 stick butter, cut into pieces
10 oz chocolate (70% cacao or more), broken into pieces
1 1/2 C heavy cream
3 Tbs honey
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/3 C chopped crystallized ginger

Place chocolate and butter in a large bowl.  In a small saucepan, bring cream, honey, salt, and cayenne to a boil over medium heat, whisking to dissolve honey.  Pour cream mixture over chocolate mixture; allow cream to melt chocolate for about a minute, then whisk until smooth.  Stir in crystallized ginger.

Pour chocolate mixture into crust; chill for at least 4 hours.




The almonds:
1/4 cup Fat Uncle Farms Ass Kickin' Ginger Almonds

Coarsely chop almonds.

Before serving, top tart with almonds.