Chocolate Dipped Strawberry Tart with a Pistachio Nut Crust

 

Tart Crust

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

3/4 cup butter , room temp.

1/2 sugar

1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 3/4 cups flour

pinch of salt

10 inch Tart pan with removable bottom

3/4 cup, shelled pistachios, chopped. Reserve 1/4 cup for topping.

In a bowl of a electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix butter and sugar together until combined. Add vanilla. In a medium bowl, sift flour and salt together, then add to butter mixture. Mix on low until dough comes together. Press into tart pan. Press 1/2 cup chopped pistachios on to the bottom of the lined tart pan. Refrigerate until firm.

Line shell with parchment paper and weight with pie weights or dried beans and bake 20 minutes. Remove the pie weights and return to oven until golden brown.. Allow to cool to room temperature.

Pastry Cream

1 1/4 cup half and half

1/4 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1 vanilla bean ,split , scrape seeds and add to half and half along with pod

2 large egg yolks

3 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons flour

Bring the half and half with vanilla extract, vanilla seeds and pod to a boil in a small saucepan. Meanwhile combine  egg yolks and sugar in a medium bowl with a whisk. Add flour to egg yolk mixture and whisk in. Ladle a small amount of hot milk mixture to egg mixture whisking to temper the eggs. Add the rest of the hot milk mixture , whisking as you pour. Place back into saucepan and bring to a boil, whisking until it thickens. Boil 10 seconds longer , remove from heat. Place in bowl to cool completely. Cover the top of pastry cream with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming.

Ganache

8oz. heavy cream

8 oz. dark chocolate, chopped and placed into glass medium bowl

Heat cream to just a boil. Do not boil. Pour over chopped chocolate. Stir the mixture until it comes together. This mixture will look like it is separating, don’t worry and keep stirring. Set aside. 1/2 cup reserved, and set aside

Combine ganache and pastry cream, stir until blended. Pour into baked tart shell. Smooth top.

Prepare about 1 1/2 pints strawberries, tops trimmed and arrange prepared berries decoratively on top of filled tart. Brush on on lightly the warmed raspberry preserves onto each berry.

1/2 cup seedless raspberry preserves, warm to liquify.

With 1/2 cup reserved Ganache , drizzle over top of brushed berries and finish with sprinkling over tart reserved 1/4 chopped , pistachios.

Refrigerate until filling is set, then remove tart ring and serve.