This handsome chocolate tart is a treat for company.

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November 2007

Product Reviews / Main Nibbles / Cookies, Cakes & Pastries

Recipe: Chocolate & Vietnamese Coffee Tart

A Silky Chocolate Dessert From Pichet Ong

What makes people happier than the perfect chocolate tart? When Pichet Ong was pastry chef at Jean-George Vongerichten’s Vietnamese restaurant Spice Market in New York City, this was one of the most popular desserts. The coffee cuts through the richness of the chocolate, adding exotic, smoky overtones. Chef Ong minimizes the sugar, which heightens the chocolatiness. He likes to top each slice with a small scoop of ice cream made from sweetened condensed milk, or a good vanilla ice cream.

Coffee was introduced into Vietnam by French colonists in the late 19th century. The country soon began to grow and export coffee. The Vietnamese enjoy coffee like the Thais, iced and very light with sweetened condensed milk. Vietnamese coffee, ca phe sua da (“iced milk coffee”) is made with a dark French roast bean, often mixed with chicory. The coffee is traditionally brewed with a drip filter into a cup that already contains the condensed milk, in a proportion of 1/4 to 1/2 sweetened condensed milk. The condensed milk and coffee are then stirred together and poured over the ice. Hot coffee, ca phe sua nong (“hot milk coffee”) is also enjoyed—just hold the ice.

Chocolate & Vietnamese Coffee Tart Ingredients

Cocoa Tart Pastry

• 1/2 cup (113 grams, 4 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup (113 grams, 4 ounces) confectioners’ sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup (23 grams, 7/8 ounce) cocoa powder, preferably Dutch-processed
• 1/4 cup (23 grams, 7/8 ounce) almond flour
• 1-1/3 cups (203 grams, 7 1/4 ounces) all-purpose flour, plus more for flouring
• 1 large egg
• Nonstick vegetable oil spray

Chocolate Coffee Ganache

• 1/4 cup (75 grams, 2 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
• 12 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 1 3/4 cups (392 grams, 14 ounces) heavy cream
• 1/2 cup (113 grams, 4 ounces) evaporated milk
• 1/3 cup (28 grams, 1 ounce) Vietnamese, chicory, or French Roast coffee powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs

Preparation

1. To make the tart shell: Put the first 6 ingredients in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until the mixture resembles cornmeal. With the machine running, add the egg, and process just until the mixture comes together. Form the mixture into a ball, press it into a 1-inch thick disc, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and chill until firm, at least 4 hours.
2. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Spray an 8-inch tart pan with a removable bottom or an 8-inch tart ring set on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
3. Lightly flour a work surface and a rolling pin. Roll the dough to 1/8-inch thickness, rotating the circle a quarter-turn with each roll. Lightly flour the surface of the dough and loosely roll the dough around the rolling pin. Unroll the dough into the prepared tart pan and press the edges up along the sides, trimming off any excess.
4. Freeze until hard, 30 minutes, then line the shell with parchment paper, fill with pie weights, like dried beans, and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the shell from the oven and remove the pie weights and parchment paper and bake until the dough is dry to the touch, 5 minutes. Cool completely on a rack.
5. Meanwhile, make the ganache: Put the chocolate in a large mixing bowl and set aside. Stir together the cream, evaporated milk, coffee powder and salt in a small saucepan and set over low heat. As soon as it simmers, strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve over the chocolate. Immediately begin whisking, incorporating the chocolate into the cream. Once the chocolate melts and the mixture becomes smooth and shiny, whisk in the eggs, one at a time, then the sweetened condensed milk. Continue whisking until the mixture is smooth and pour into the cooled tart shell.
6. Turn the oven down to 275°F. Bake the tart for 10 minutes, then rotate the pan and bake for 10 more minutes. When done, the middle should still jiggle slightly, but not be wet. Remove from the oven, cool completely, and serve. Yield: 10-12 cream puffs.

Pichet Ong Executive Chef/Owner, P*Ong New York City

Thanks to NewAsianCuisine.com and Pichet Ong for sharing this recipe with us.

Recipe © Copyright Pichet Ong. Other material