Recipe

Chocolate, Matcha, and Pomegranate Tart

By Tim Chin

The shades of red and green in this tart echo a classic dessert for the holiday season, but the flavors are surprisingly complex: bittersweet, tart, and herbaceous. There’s a hazelnut tart shell, green tea–spiked whipped cream, and pomegranate seeds, but the sleeper hit is the chocolate ganache layer. I employ a technique that French chemist Hervé This developed in the 1990s. He created a dairy-free chocolate Chantilly, or whipped chocolate, by melting chocolate with an abundant amount of water (equaling as much as 90 percent of the weight of the chocolate in some cases) and then whipping it to achieve a mousse-like texture. Without the cream found in a normal ganache to mask the flavor, the result is something intensely chocolaty and decadent. After melting the chocolate in the water with a little sugar, I rapidly cool the mixture over an ice bath to partially crystallize the cocoa butter, form a stable emulsion, and trap a small amount of air. The result is an intense hit of creamy dark chocolate that pulls all of the flavors and textures into one tasty tart—holiday season or not. 

Yield
Serves 6 to 8
Ingredients

Tart Dough

20 g egg yolk (1 large yolk)
10 g heavy cream
48 g confectioners' sugar
25 g blanched hazelnuts, toasted
2 g kosher salt
56 g unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces and chilled
120 g all-purpose flour

Chocolate Filling

475 g plus 130 g water, divided
475 g ice cubes
150 g bittersweet chocolate (70 percent cacao or higher), chopped
40 g granulated sugar
1 g kosher salt

Matcha Whipped Cream

235 g heavy cream
25 g confectioners' sugar
1 g kosher salt
8 g plus 4 g matcha, divided
50 g pomegranate seeds

Tart Dough

1  large egg yolk
2 teaspoons heavy cream
1 cup confectioners' sugar
¼ cup blanched hazelnuts, toasted
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces and chilled
¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons (4 3/8 ounces) all-purpose flour

Chocolate Filling

2 cups plus ½ cup plus 1 tablespoon water, divided
4 cups ice cubes
5⅓ ounces bittersweet chocolate (70 percent cacao or higher), chopped
3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon kosher salt

Matcha Whipped Cream

1 cup heavy cream
½ cup confectioners' sugar
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
3 teaspoons plus 1 teaspoon matcha, divided
⅓ cup pomegranate seeds
Essential Equipment
Instructions
  1. 20 g egg yolk (1 large yolk)
    10 g heavy cream
    48 g confectioners’ sugar
    25 g blanched hazelnuts, toasted
    2 g kosher salt
    56 g unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces and chilled
    120 g all-purpose flour

    For the Tart Dough: Whisk egg yolk and cream together in small bowl and set aside. Process sugar, hazelnuts, and salt in food processor until fine and powdery, about 1 minute. Add butter and process until smooth and creamy, scraping down sides of bowl as needed, about 1 minute. Gradually add egg mixture and process until smooth and combined, scraping down sides of bowl as needed, about 1 minute. Add flour and process until mixture forms cohesive dough, about 30 seconds. Transfer dough to counter and briefly knead until smooth. Roll dough between 2 large sheets of parchment paper into 12-inch round. Transfer dough, still between parchment, to baking sheet and freeze until cold and stiff, about 15 minutes.
  2. Transfer dough to counter, discard top sheet of parchment, and lightly dust dough with flour. When dough is slightly pliable, 1 to 3 minutes, ease dough over rolling pin and roll it up loosely, peeling away bottom sheet of parchment. Unroll dough on top of tart pan and ease dough into pan by gently lifting edge of dough with your hand while pressing into corners with your other hand. Gently press dough into fluted sides of pan, forming distinct seam along pan circumference. Run rolling pin over top of pan to remove excess dough. Place dough-lined pan on baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 3 days. (Dough-lined pan can be wrapped tightly with plastic wrap and frozen for up to 1 month.)
  3. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees F/160 degrees C. Remove dough-lined pan from refrigerator and, using skewer, poke 30 small holes, evenly spaced, in dough on bottom. Bake tart shell on baking sheet until edges just begin to brown, 20 to 25 minutes, rotating pan halfway through baking. Remove tart shell from oven and let cool while preparing filling.
    • 475 plus 130 g water, divided
    • 475 g ice cubes
    • 150 g bittersweet chocolate (70 percent cacao or higher), chopped
    • 40 g granulated sugar
    • 1 g kosher salt

    For the Chocolate Filling: Combine 475 grams water and ice cubes in large bowl to make ice bath. Place chocolate, 130 grams water, sugar, and salt in metal or glass bowl over saucepan of simmering water. Cook, stirring frequently with rubber spatula, until chocolate is fully melted and smooth, about 5 minutes. Transfer bowl to ice bath and chill, stirring constantly, until mixture is slightly thickened and registers between 75 and 80 degrees F/24 and 27 degrees C, 30 to 60 seconds. Remove bowl from ice bath and continue to stir 30 seconds longer. Transfer filling to cooled tart shell and tap baking sheet lightly on counter to release air bubbles; refrigerate tart until set, about 1 hour. (Tart can be wrapped in plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to 24 hours.) 
    • 235 g heavy cream
    • 25 g confectioners’ sugar
    • 1 g kosher salt
    • 8 g plus 4 g matcha, divided
    • 50 g pomegranate seeds

    For the Matcha Whipped Cream: In bowl of stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, whip cream, sugar, and salt on high speed until soft peaks form. Add 8 grams matcha, reduce speed to medium, and whip until stiff peaks form. Remove tart from refrigerator. Remove outer metal ring of tart pan, slide thin metal spatula between tart and pan bottom, and carefully slide tart onto serving platter. Spread whipped cream evenly over chocolate layer. Using fine-mesh strainer, dust tart with 4 grams matcha. Sprinkle with pomegranate seeds, cut into wedges, and serve.
Instructions
    • 1 large egg yolk
    • 2 teaspoons heavy cream
    • 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
    • ¼ cup blanched hazelnuts, toasted
    • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
    • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces and chilled
    • ¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons (4 3/8 ounces) all-purpose flour

    For the Tart Dough: Whisk egg yolk and cream together in small bowl and set aside. Process sugar, hazelnuts, and salt in food processor until fine and powdery, about 1 minute. Add butter and process until smooth and creamy, scraping down sides of bowl as needed, about 1 minute. Gradually add egg mixture and process until smooth and combined, scraping down sides of bowl as needed, about 1 minute. Add flour and process until mixture forms cohesive dough, about 30 seconds. Transfer dough to counter and briefly knead until smooth. Roll dough between 2 large sheets of parchment paper into 12-inch round. Transfer dough, still between parchment, to baking sheet and freeze until cold and stiff, about 15 minutes. 
  1. Transfer dough to counter, discard top sheet of parchment, and lightly dust dough with flour. When dough is slightly pliable, 1 to 3 minutes, ease dough over rolling pin and roll it up loosely, peeling away bottom sheet of parchment. Unroll dough on top of tart pan and ease dough into pan by gently lifting edge of dough with your hand while pressing into corners with your other hand. Gently press dough into fluted sides of pan, forming distinct seam along pan circumference. Run rolling pin over top of pan to remove excess dough. Place dough-lined pan on baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 3 days. (Dough-lined pan can be wrapped tightly with plastic wrap and frozen for up to 1 month.)
  2. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees F/160 degrees C. Remove dough-lined pan from refrigerator and, using skewer, poke 30 small holes, evenly spaced, in dough on bottom. Bake tart shell on baking sheet until edges just begin to brown, 20 to 25 minutes, rotating pan halfway through baking. Remove tart shell from oven and let cool while preparing filling.
    • 2 cups plus ½ cup plus 1 tablespoon water, divided
    • 4 cups ice cubes
    • 5⅓ ounces bittersweet chocolate (70 percent cacao or higher), chopped
    • 3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
    • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt

    For the Chocolate Filling: Combine 2 cups water and ice cubes in large bowl to make ice bath. Place chocolate, ½ cup plus 1 tablespoon water, sugar, and salt in metal or glass bowl over saucepan of simmering water. Cook, stirring frequently with rubber spatula, until chocolate is fully melted and smooth, about 5 minutes. Transfer bowl to ice bath and chill, stirring constantly, until mixture is slightly thickened and registers between 75 and 80 degrees F/24 and 27 degrees C, 30 to 60 seconds. Remove bowl from ice bath and continue to stir 30 seconds longer. Transfer filling to cooled tart shell and tap baking sheet lightly on counter to release air bubbles; refrigerate tart until set, about 1 hour. (Tart can be wrapped in plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to 24 hours.)
    • 1 cup heavy cream
    • ½ cup confectioners’ sugar
    • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
    • 3 teaspoons plus 1 teaspoon matcha, divided
    • ⅓ cup pomegranate seeds

    For Matcha Whipped Cream: In bowl of stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, whip cream, sugar, and salt on high speed until soft peaks form. Add 3 teaspoons matcha, reduce speed to medium, and whip until stiff peaks form. Remove tart from refrigerator. Remove outer metal ring of tart pan, slide thin metal spatula between tart and pan bottom, and carefully slide tart onto serving platter. Spread whipped cream evenly over chocolate layer. Using fine-mesh strainer, dust tart with 1 teaspoon matcha. Sprinkle with pomegranate seeds, cut into wedges, and serve.
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