Dark Chocolate Pistachio Tart (Printable Version)
Rich dark chocolate ganache in a buttery pistachio crust — an elegant French dessert for any occasion.
# What You Need:
→ Pistachio Crust
01 - 4.2 oz shelled unsalted pistachios
02 - 4.2 oz all-purpose flour
03 - 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
04 - 1/4 teaspoon salt
05 - 3 oz unsalted butter, cold and cubed
06 - 1 large egg yolk
→ Dark Chocolate Ganache Filling
07 - 7 oz dark chocolate (60–70% cocoa), chopped
08 - 3/4 cup plus 1 1/2 tablespoons heavy cream
09 - 1 oz unsalted butter, diced
10 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
→ Decoration
11 - 2 tablespoons chopped pistachios
12 - Flaky sea salt, to taste
# Method:
01 - Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Position the rack in the center of the oven.
02 - Place shelled pistachios in a food processor and pulse until finely ground, being careful not to over-process into a paste.
03 - Add the all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, and salt to the ground pistachios. Pulse several times until evenly combined.
04 - Add the cold cubed butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with a few pea-sized pieces remaining.
05 - Add the egg yolk and pulse until the dough just begins to come together when pinched between your fingers.
06 - Press the dough evenly into the bottom and along the sides of a 9-inch tart pan with a removable base, ensuring a uniform thickness throughout.
07 - Refrigerate the shaped crust for 20 minutes to firm up the butter and prevent shrinking during baking.
08 - Prick the chilled crust several times with a fork to allow steam to escape. Bake for 13–15 minutes until lightly golden. Let cool completely on a wire rack.
09 - Pour the heavy cream into a small saucepan and heat over medium heat until just simmering — small bubbles should form around the edges but do not let it boil.
10 - Place the chopped dark chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and let it sit undisturbed for 2 minutes to allow the chocolate to melt.
11 - Add the diced butter and vanilla extract to the chocolate mixture. Stir gently in small circular motions starting from the center outward until the ganache is smooth, glossy, and emulsified.
12 - Pour the ganache into the completely cooled tart shell. Smooth the surface evenly with an offset spatula, working from the center outward.
13 - Refrigerate the tart for at least 3 hours, or until the ganache is fully set and firm to the touch.
14 - Sprinkle the top with chopped pistachios and a pinch of flaky sea salt just before serving. Slice into 8 even wedges with a sharp knife.
# Expert Tricks:
01 -
- The pistachio crust alone is worth making this tart, nutty and buttery in a way that regular pastry never quite achieves.
- The ganache sets into this impossibly silky layer that cracks slightly when you cut it, which I find endlessly satisfying.
02 -
- The first time I made this I poured ganache into a still warm crust and the whole thing turned into a soupy mess, so let that shell cool completely before filling.
- Chopping the chocolate finely rather than using chips makes the ganache infinitely smoother because those waxy stabilizers in chocolate chips resist melting properly.
03 -
- Run your knife under hot water and wipe it dry between each cut for the cleanest, most photogenic slices.
- The tart can be assembled entirely the day before your event, which makes it one of the most stress free dinner party desserts in my rotation.