Classic Chocolate Torte with Kahlua #recipe #giveaway #bookclub @abbottmysteries

By Victoria Abbott from Mary Jane Maffini's kitchen.

We hope you are enjoying our third book club week theme at Mystery Lovers Kitchen.   I love book club week because I love book clubs. In my experience as an author book clubs are often associated with food (and wine) as well as love of books.

My own book club has a rule: there must be chocolate. Of course, we usually have a book as well.  Ahem.  We are usually in a good mood:  here we are on a previous get together, looking forward to something chocolately.

Produce the chocolate or we'll stop smiling!

Book Club will meet here at my house on Tuesday. Therefore it has been necessary to do a dry run on a chocolate dessert to serve.  I chose Classic Chocolate Tart and decided to update it with a good dose of Kahlua, because I could.

Of course, I’ll have to try some other old favorites too:  maybe some that have already appeared on Mystery Lovers Kitchen!   Here are links to two recipes that I did from previous book club weeks and one that I should have (mini-souffles). You can check them out after!

http://www.mysteryloverskitchen.com/2015/02/flourless-dark-chocolate-mini-souffles.html

http://www.mysteryloverskitchen.com/2015/09/kahlua-brownies-with-white-and-dark.html

http://www.mysteryloverskitchen.com/search/label/book%20club%20chocolate%20mousse%20cake

Finally, here's how to make Classic Chocolate Tart with Kahlua

 

Pie crust:

¾ cup unbleached white flour, plus extra for board and rolling pin

2 tsp. good quality cocoa powder, plus extra for board and rolling pin

4 tsp. icing sugar

Pinch of salt

¼ cup chilled butter

1 egg yolk

2 tablespoons ice water (or more if necessary)

Dried beans (to hold crust down while baking)

Ganache filling:

8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup whipping cream

2 tablespoons Kahlua

White and dark chocolate curls or shreds to decorate

¾ cup whipping cream

4 tablespoons Kahlua

Directions for crust:

Grease a 9-inch fluted tart pan with removable bottom.

Cut a piece of parchment paper just slightly larger than bottom.

Sift flour, sugar, cocoa and salt into food processor.  Add chilled butter and pulse until it looks like bread crumbs. 

 Distribute egg yolk around mixture and add ice water. Pulse until it just holds together. Add a tiny bit more water if necessary.

Roll out on counter or board dusted with extra flour and cocoa until larger than pan. Lift into pan very carefully.  We used our pancake spatula and a regular spatula after a couple of failed attempts. Just sayin’.

Press into pan making sure it fits into the fluting. Trim the edges.  

Put parchment paper in and add the beans.

Chill for a half-hour.

Preheat oven to 375 F.

Bake for fifteen minutes. Lift out with care as bottom can dislodge (we know this the hard way).
Remove parchment paper and beans.  

Bake for five more minutes.

When the crust has cooled, make the ganache:

Chop the semi-sweet chocolate and put in a heat-proof bowl with the room temperature butter.

Bring the whipping cream just to a boil.

Pour cream over chocolate and butter and stir until melted.

Add Kahlua and stir to blend.

Pour into pie crust and chill for three hours.

Decorate with slivers of white and dark chocolate or chocolate curls.

Whip ¾ cup cream with the 4 tablespoons Kahlua.

To serve: remove from pie plate with great care and transfer to a serving plate if you want to show it off. 

  Serve plain or with dollops of whipped cream. You can also serve slices from the pie plate.

This tart is very rich and serves six large pieces or ten slimmer ones.  

By now you know that the shadowy body known as Victoria Abbott is actually us: Victoria and Mary Jane Maffini.   



We're really excited about the coming release of The Hammett Hex, our fifth book collector mystery. 

 We are having so much fun with the fedoras that we thought you might want a chance to win one.  How about it?  Just leave a comment here and YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS.  Then be prepared to open an email from Mary Jane Maffini if you're the winner.  Your spam filter may think that it's from Marijuana Muffins, but YOU have to find a way to check for it.   Good luck everyone! This comes with different colored bands!  


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