Mexican Chocolate Tart With Cinnamon Spiced Pecans Food

MEXICAN CHOCOLATE TART WITH CINNAMON-SPICED PECANS

Steps:

• For pecans:
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray rimmed baking sheet with nonstick spray. Whisk all ingredients except pecans in medium bowl. Stir in pecans. Spread in single layer on sheet, rounded side up. Bake until just browned and dry, about 30 minutes. Cool on sheet. Separate nuts, removing excess coating. DO AHEAD Can be made 2 days ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.
• For crust:
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Blend first 4 ingredients in processor. Add melted butter; process until crumbs are moistened. Press crumbs into 9-inch-diameter tart pan with removable bottom, to within 1/8 inch of top. Bake until set, about 20 minutes. Cool on rack.
• For filling:
• Bring cream to simmer in medium saucepan. Remove from heat. Add chocolates; whisk until melted. Add butter, 1 piece at a time; whisk until smooth. Whisk in vanilla, cinnamon, and salt. Pour filling into crust. Chill until filling begins to set, about 15 to 20 minutes.
• Arrange nuts in concentric circles atop tart. Chill until set, about 4 hours. DO AHEAD Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover loosely with foil and keep chilled. Serve tart with whipped cream.

MEXICAN CHOCOLATE PECAN PIE

Steps:

• For the crust: Spray a 9-inch pie dish with cooking spray.
• Blend the cookie crumbs, butter and brown sugar in a food processor until the crumbs are moist. Press the crumb mixture into the bottom and up the sides of the prepared pie dish. Cover the crust and freeze while preparing the filling. (Can be made 1 week ahead. Keep frozen.)
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• For the filling: Combine the butter, brown sugar and corn syrup in a heavy medium saucepan. Bring to boil, stirring often. Boil 1 minute. Stir in the pecans and crema. Boil until the mixture thickens slightly, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat. Add the chocolate and stir until the chocolate melts and the mixture is well blended.
• Pour the hot filling into the crust. Using a spoon, evenly distribute the nuts. Bake until the filling bubbles all over, about 10 minutes. Transfer the pie to a rack and cool completely before serving.

PECAN TART WITH MEXICAN HOT CHOCOLATE AND CREME FRAICHE ICE CREAM

Steps:

• For the pie dough: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Place the flour, salt and butter in a food processor and blend until it comes to a pea-size crumble. Dump that mixture out into a bowl and pour 5 tablespoons cold water in. Mix to bind it with your hands just until it comes together, then wrap and let rest for 15 minutes. (Be careful not to overmix your dough to form gluten.)
• Roll the dough out to 1/8-inch thick on a floured surface, then press into a 10-inch fluted tart pan, being careful to get all the edges pressed into the corners. Using a fork, poke holes in the dough so it doesn't bubble while baking. Gently lay cheesecloth over the top of the tart and pour in 1 cup of pie weights to blind bake the shell. Bake until blond (light golden brown), 18 to 20 minutes.
• For the filling: Melt the butter in a saucepan and whisk in the brown sugar, corn syrup and vanilla until smooth.
• Combine the cream cheese, orange zest, salt and eggs together in a stand mixer and beat with the whisk attachment on high speed, stopping to scrape down the sides of the mixer once, until smooth and not lumpy, about 3 minutes. On low speed add your hot sugar and butter mixture to your egg and cream cheese mixture. Fold the pecans into the mixture and fill the tart shell.
• Bake until set, 12 to 15 minutes.
• Place the Hot Chocolate on the bottom of a plate in a circular puddle. Dust the top of the tart with powdered sugar, then place over the hot chocolate. Quenelle the Creme Fraiche Ice Cream (form into football shapes) and place it on top of the tart. Garnish with the Candied Orange Zest and potato leaves.
• Place the chocolate in a large bowl and set aside.
• Combine the cream, granulated sugar, corn syrup, vanilla, cinnamon, coriander, salt, allspice, cloves and chile in a saucepot and bring to 180 degrees F. Remove from the heat, strain all of the solids out of the cream mixture and pour over the chocolate.
• Let sit 1 minute, then whisk until it all comes together.
• Mix together the egg yolks, whole eggs, granulated sugar and salt in a bowl and whisk well.
• Combine the cream, crème fraiche and milk in a pot over medium heat and bring to 180 degrees F.
• Temper the hot cream into your egg mixture by adding a small amount of the hot cream to the egg mixture, whisking constantly, then whisking the egg mixture into the hot cream, whisking constantly. Let cool to room temperature, then strain.
• Pour the custard into the ice cream machine.
• Run the machine according to its instructions until thick and creamy, about 20 minutes. Remove from the machine and let it set up the rest of the way in the freezer, about 4 hours.
• Peel zests from the orange with a peeler.
• Roll the zests up and cut them into chiffonade strips.
• Mix the raw sugar together with 1/2 cup granulated sugar on a tray and set aside.
• Stir together the remaining cup granulated sugar with 1/3 cup water in a pot and wipe the sides of the pot down with a wet hand. Bring this solution up to 242 degrees F.
• Throw the orange zests into the pot and swirl the pot a few times. Take off the heat.
• Strain through a sieve to retrieve the orange zests. Immediately throw the orange zests into the sugar mixture and toss quickly so that they separate and crystalize in the sugar.
• Transfer zests to parchment paper and let harden, about 1 hour.

MEXICAN CHOCOLATE TORTE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325°F. Butter an 8 1/2-inch springform pan and line it with a round of wax paper. Butter the paper and dust the pan with flour, knocking out the excess. In a food processor blend together the almonds, the brown sugar, the cinnamon, and the salt until the almonds are ground fine, add the chocolate, and blend the mixture until the chocolate is ground fine. Add the egg yolks and the vanilla, blend the mixture until it is combined well (it will be very thick), and transfer it to a bowl. In another bowl with an electric mixture beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt until they hold soft peaks, beat in the granulated sugar gradually, and beat the meringue until it just holds stiff peaks. Whisk about one third of the meringue into the chocolate mixture to lighten it and fold in the remaining meringue gently but thoroughly. Pour the batter into the pan, smoothing the top, and bake the torte in the middle of the oven for 45 to 55 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean. Let the torte cool in the pan on a rack for 5 minutes, run a thin knife around the edge, and remove the side of the pan. Invert the torte onto the rack, discarding the wax paper, and let it cool.
• Make the glaze:
• In a metal bowl set over barely simmering water combine the chocolate, the butter, the cream, and the corn syrup, stir the mixture until it is smooth, and let the glaze cool until it is just lukewarm.
• Set the torte on the rack over wax paper and pour the glaze over it, smoothing the glaze with a spatula and letting the excess drip down the side.
• Make the icing:
• In a bowl whisk together the confectioners' sugar and 1 teaspoon of the milk and add enough of the remaining milk, drop by drop, to form a thick icing.
• Transfer the icing to a small pastry bag fitted with a 1/8-inch plain tip and pipe it decoratively on the torte. Transfer the torte to a serving plate and let it stand for 2 hours, or until the glaze is set.