Pastry
Chef Carl Sears of Georgia’s Jekyll Island Club Hotel
created this glamorous Chocolate Macadamia Nut Tart. The
inspiration was chocolate,
of course. “I’m a chocoholic.
That is probably inspiration enough right there. I enjoy
the taste in all its familiar ways, but I also like to
experiment for my own enjoyment. For example, a
wonderful chocolate cake can be created by adding very
finely chopped basil. The taste is surprisingly good.”
Besides creating desserts at the famous hotel, Chef
Sears, who has a degree in mathematics from Georgia Tech
and another degree in culinary arts from Savannah Tech,
teaches cooking classes for guests. “I tell my students,
taste is first; presentation is a close second. Baking
is science; presentation is art. Besides, if it’s
chocolate you’re working with, it just can’t be work.”
Chef
Sears says he prefers to use chocolate from New World
Chocolate, Buffalo, NY. “The taste and texture are
excellent, and I like the way it works up. Also, it’s
not the most expensive on the market; it’s just very,
very good.”
Visit
www.jekyllclub.com.
Chocolate Macadamia Nut Tart
Serves 10
Crust:
½ cup
unsalted butter
1 cup
confectioner’s sugar
¼
teaspoon salt
2
large eggs
2 cups
all purpose flour
¼ cup
semisweet chocolate chips, melted
Filling:
¾
pound macadamia nuts
2/3
cup light Karo syrup
2/3
cup sugar
1/3
cup unsalted butter, cut into 6-8 pieces
1/3
cup heavy cream
Topping:
1
large egg
2 egg
yolks
2
teaspoons cornstarch
½ cup
sour cream
½ cup
heavy cream
½ cup
semisweet chocolate chips
Whipped cream and chocolate shavings, for garnish
Directions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
For
the crust
Cream
together the butter, confectioner’s sugar, and salt.
Beat
in eggs.
Mix in
flour until completely combined.
Chill
the dough at least 30 minutes.
Roll
out the dough to fit a 9” tart pan.
Prick
bottom of crust with fork.
Bake
until golden brown, about 20 minutes.
Remove
from oven and cool.
Brush
inside of crust with melted chocolate Set aside.
For
the filling
Place
nuts on sheet pan and put in oven until toasted and
fragrant, about 20 minutes.
Set
aside.
In a
heavy pot, combine Karo syrup and sugar.
Cook
over high heat stirring with a wooden spoon, until a
deep caramel color and the first signs
of smoke are
barely evident.
Be
careful not to burn – this only takes about five or six
minutes on a gas stove top.
Immediately stir in butter until melted.
Be
very careful of splattering caramel.
Remove
from heat and stir in heavy cream.
Again,
be careful of the steam produced.
Stir
in toasted nuts and pour mixture into prepared crust.
Refrigerate.
For
the topping
Whisk
together the eggs, egg yolks, cornstarch, sour cream,
and heavy cream in a double-
boiler.
Cook,
stirring constantly, until thick enough for your whisk
to leave a track when pulled through.
Remove
from heat and stir in chocolate chips until melted.
Pour
over filling and refrigerate until set, at least four
hours.
Serve
with whipped cream and chocolate shavings.
Edited By Patricia D. Sherman
