During my travels, I sometimes eat a dish that so wonderfully captures where I am that I want to bring it back alive, to relive the taste at home. That was how I felt about the Chocolate-Glazed Chocolate Tart in my menu from September’s Paris issue.
I was on a research trip there with Kempy Minifie, Gourmet’s executive food editor, when I first saw the tart. In our search for the “new” Paris, we went to lunch at Les Cocottes, a fantastic casual-chic restaurant, and were seated next to two very Parisian ladies. They were dressed, very bien habilles, in ensembles that could easily go from day to night. After staring at them for a while, I turned to Kempy and said, “Oh my God. Take a look at that tart.” I was not referring to the woman on my right: At the end of their ladies’ lunch, they were served a tart with a gorgeous, glossy glaze. We ordered it.
When it was set down, I marveled, “I can’t believe how thin this top layer is! How did the chef do it?” The ultra-thin sheen on the surface of the tart had an almost patent-leather brilliance. In my sleuthing, I kept taking bite after bite, examining it. I was amazed by the contrast between the shiny dark top and the not-quite-matte, soft, chocolate filling. This thing was so meticulous and chic—not exactly surprising, since it was created by a chef under the watchful eye of Christian Constant, a Michelin three-star chef whose idea of retiring was opening the “more casual” restaurant in which we were eating (in addition to a number of others).
The tart was so Parisian, I knew it would be a great candidate for our Paris issue—and, of course, people always love chocolate. When I returned to New York, I decided to do a menu inspired by the classic cool of Paris flea markets. It was just the place for that chocolate tart.
I wanted to make my tart taste as good as it looked. And looking at the version at Les Cocottes, there was no mistaking that you were in for a chocolate ride. To get a flavor that matched, the filling was all about the quality of the chocolate. The soft, billowy center, set with a couple of eggs and cream, is ganache at its best. I discovered that a touch of corn syrup was the secret to creating a glossy, dark chocolate top. I carefully poured the chocolate glaze over the cooled filling and gently tilted the whole tart to coat its surface. The tart shell turned out to be the trickiest part. Editor in chief Ruth Reichl thought my first attempt at a chocolate graham cracker crust was too sandy. But I wanted that contrast of textures, so I tweaked it. My second version was great with the silky filling; Ruth thought so, too.
Creating the tart I wanted, one that recaptured my Paris experience, was not as labor-intensive as I thought it might be. This was an interesting case of being very satisfied with my recreation of a dish that captivated me; it lets me revisit the City of Light with each bite.
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