Gluten-Free Raspberry & Dark Chocolate Tart

Remember when we had oh-so-many raspberries and made the Raspberries & Cream Ice Slice? Well, we had enough raspberries for a second dessert, and it needed chocolate.

So I invented this tart. It’s deep, dark, and sinfully chocolatey. With not only a chocolate crust, but a silky chocolate ganache filling. And topped with raspberries for just a little bit of sweetness.

It was inspired by a berry farmer I met about ten years ago, while berry picking on his farm. I asked what he would do with the big basket of pick-your-own raspberries I was taking home, and he replied with: “Chocolate shell, ganache filling, raspberries. You can’t beat it.” I remember this moment as the beginning of a glorious new habit: collecting recipes from the people who grow my food. If you are ever at a farmers’ market, your secret weapon is to ask the farmer what they would do with whatever you’re buying. Whatever they suggest, go home and make it, and revel in its deliciousness.

This tart crust is one of the most successful gluten-free crusts I’ve made yet. It’s a little crumbly, but tastes like shortbread because of the rice flour. I didn’t even announce to the boys I was serving it to that it was gluten-free. They just devoured it. However, no one asked for seconds. This tart is rich — so serve it in thin slivers so people can have seconds if they want.

Gluten-Free Raspberry & Dark Chocolate Tart
Serves 10

• 240 g (1 1/2c.) rice flour
• 1 pinch of sea salt
• 12g (2 Tbsp.) raw organic cane sugar
• 11 g (1 1/2 Tbsp.) cocoa power
• 112 g (1/2 c.) cold butter, cut into dice-sized cubes
• 118 ml (1/2 c.) ice cold water
• 295 ml (1 1/4c.) cream
• 340 g (12 oz.) bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
• 250 g (1 punnet) fresh raspberries

In a large bowl or food processor (fitted with the dough hook), combine the rice flour, salt, sugar, and cocoa powder. Add the butter and mix until you have a crumbly, sandy mixture. Sprinkle the cold water over the top of the mixture. Wait 30 seconds, then mix together until all ingredients are incorporated and the dough comes into a ball. If the dough seems to dry, add more cold water, a tablespoon at a time.

Remove the ball from the bowl or food processor and flatten into a disc. Wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 400F.

Thoroughly grease a pie pan with butter.

Once the dough is chilled, remove it from the fridge. Roll out the dough (this can be easier if you put it between two sheets of plastic wrap, wax paper, or parchment paper) until it fits in your pie pan. Press the dough into the pan. If you get any cracks, fill them in by pressing the dough into the pan. This crust is quite forgiving. Decorate the edges by pressing a fork into the dough, all the way around the pan. Bake at 400F for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool.

While the tart crust is cooling, prepare the ganache. Place the chopped chocolate into a mixing bowl.

Over medium heat, heat the cream in a heavy-bottomed pot. Bring the cream just barely to a boil. Remove from the heat and pour the cream over the chocolate.

Stir with a spatula until you have a smooth ganache. As you are stirring the mixture may look like it has separated — don’t panic. Keep stirring and it will come together.

Pour the chocolate ganache into the tart shell, and refrigerate for 2-3 hours, until the ganache has set.

Top with berries, and keep in the fridge until serving.

Serve with extra berries, and enjoy in good health!!