Chocolate Pumpkin Spiderweb Tart

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Chocolate Pumpkin Spiderweb Tart
A chocolate spider’s web covers this pumpkin tart and chocolate spiced pastry, a great Halloween party dessert. If you want to serve this tart for other occasions such as Thanksgiving, just replace the spider web design by drizzling the chocolate topping over the top in any pattern you prefer or completely covering the top with chocolate by spreading thinly with an offset spatula.

With some left-over melted chocolate I made a few chocolate spiders decorated with orange and black dragees to add to the web.
Recipe type: Dessert | Custard Tart
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Recipe Notes
Pan: One 10" Tart with Removable Bottom Pastry: Chocolate Spiced Pastry Prep: Baked Oven Temp: 350° Storage: Cover and Refrigerate

Help: Chocolate Types, Melting Chocolate
Ingredients
Chocolate Spiced Pastry:
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, chilled, cut into small pieces
  • 1 large egg
  • 4 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
Pumpkin Filling:
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 can (15 ounces) pumpkin
  • ¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons firmly packed light brown sugar
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon ground ginger
  • ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
Chocolate Topping and Chocolate Spiders:
  • 2 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
  • About 1 tablespoon granulated sugar (optional)
Instructions
Chocolate Spiced Pastry:
  1. In a medium mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, cocoa powder, cinnamon, cloves, and salt; sift or whisk together to mix. Add the butter pieces and gently mix with a fork to coat the pieces of butter with the flour mixture. With a pastry blender or two knives, cut the butter into the flour mixture until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs and some of the pieces of butter are the size of peas.
  2. Add the egg and use a kitchen fork to mix the flour and egg together. When the dough is mixed, it should feel just slightly moist and hold together when pinched with your fingers. Tip: If the dough is crumbly and does not hold together, add 1 to 2 teaspoons ice water, adding one teaspoon of water at a time until the dough is done and holds together.
  3. Form dough into one-6-inch disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled, 1 to 2 hours, or refrigerate up to 3 days before using.
  4. Remove the dough disc from refrigerator. If the dough is too cold and difficult to roll, let stand at room temperature for 5 to 15 minutes.
  5. On a lightly floured pastry mat or pastry board, and using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll the chilled pastry to a 12 inch circle and fit into a 10 or 10½ inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Gently press pastry against the sides of the tart pan. Trim excess pastry to ½ inch. Fold the edge of the pastry under and press gently around the rim to seal the edge, allowing pastry to extend ⅛ to ¼ inch above the top of the pan to allow for shrinkage. Lightly prick the bottom and sides with a fork at three-fourth or one inch intervals. Place on a baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate tart shell until firm, at least 30 minutes.
  6. While tart shell is refrigerating, preheat oven to 350 degrees F, allowing 15 to 20 minutes for the oven to preheat before baking.
  7. Bake: Leaving the tart shell on the baking sheet, bake 15 minutes. Remove from oven. Tip: If the pastry edges have shrunk during baking, use a small spatula and gently press the hot pastry back up to the top edge of the tart pan, you must do this while the pastry is still hot from the oven.
  8. After removing baked tart shell from the oven, immediately sprinkle the 4 ounces of chopped chocolate evenly over the bottom of the shell. Let the chocolate sit for about 2 minutes to melt and then spread evenly with a small offset spatula. Set tart shell aside while making filling.
Pumpkin Filling:
  1. In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs with a wire whisk or fork until frothy. Add pumpkin, brown sugar, sour cream, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and salt, stir well to mix. Pour mixture in the pastry-lined tart shell.
  2. Bake: Leaving the tart shell on the baking sheet, bake 50 to 60 minutes, or until the filling is lightly browned and the tart jiggles slightly if the pan is given a gentle shake.
  3. Remove from oven. Cool on a wire cooling rack at least 1 hour before adding the chocolate topping.
Chocolate Topping and Chocolate Spiders:
  1. Place the chopped semisweet chocolate in a small bowl, place on top of a pan of hot water to create a double boiler, stir until chocolate is melted and smooth. Tip: Create a double boiler by filling a saucepan with 2 inches of water and bringing it to a simmer. Turn the heat off and place a stainless steel, ceramic, or glass bowl on top of the hot water, the upper pan should not touch the water.
  2. Place the melted chocolate in a small paper piping bag, seal the end, and snip off the tip to make a ⅛ inch diameter hole. Tip: Use a pastry bag with a decorating tip for piping. In place of a pastry bag, you can also use a plastic bag with a ziplock top; after the plastic bag is filled, cut a very small piece off one corner to pipe the chocolate out. To fill the pastry or plastic bag, place the bag, tip side down, in a glass, fold the top down over the edge of the glass. Spoon the chocolate into the bag, filling it no more than ⅔ full, unfold the top and secure with the ziplock top or with a twist tie. Keep the tip covered with a damp cloth when not using to prevent it from clogging.
  3. First, pipe about 12 evenly spaced lines (spokes) with the melted chocolate, radiating out from the center of the tart. Second, starting from the outside edge of the tart, pipe curved lines around the perimeter of the tart connecting each spoke. Continue piping the curved lines, spacing them closer together as you near the center.
  4. Let tart set until completely cooled and firm, another 1 to 2 hours, before cutting and serving. Cover and refrigerate within 8 hours.
  5. Chocolate Spiders (Optional): If you have any melted chocolate left-over you can create chocolate spiders to add to the top of the web. On a piece of parchment paper, pipe a small mound of chocolate about ⅜ inches in diameter for the body, and pipe another smaller mound of chocolate touching the first mound for the head. Pipe the spider legs out from the body. If desired, sprinkle dragees on top for decoration and additional color. Let the spiders sit until the chocolate is hardened and then gently remove from the parchment paper and place on the spider web.
  6. Optional: Just before serving, sprinkle the entire top of the tart with granulated sugar to make the spider web glisten
Adapted From: Martha Stewart's Pies & Tarts, Clarkson Potter Publishers, New York, 2011

Caramel Pecan Torte

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Caramel Pecan Torte
Recipe type: Dessert | Chocolate Pie | Caramel
Serves: 10 to 12
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Recipe Notes
Pan: One 9" Tart with Removable Bottom Pan Prep: Ungreased Pastry: Sweet Tart Pastry Prep: Unbaked Oven Temp: 400° Storage: Cover and Refrigerate

Help: Chocolate Types, Melting Chocolate
Ingredients
Pecan Caramel Filling:
  • 2 cups pecan halves or pieces, finely chopped
  • ⅔ cup granulated sugar
  • ¼ cup water
  • 1 cup whipping (heavy) cream
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Sweet Tart Pastry:
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus additional for work surface
  • ¼ cup granulated sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold, cut into ¼ inch pieces
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 5 tablespoons half-and-half cream or whipping (heavy) cream
Chocolate Glaze and Topping:
  • 8 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped into small pieces
  • 1 tablespoon light corn syrup
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 10 to 12 pecan halves for decoration
Instructions
Pecan Caramel Filling:
  1. Finely chop the pecans. Set aside.
  2. In a large heavy-bottomed pan, combine the sugar and water. Bring to a boil over medium high heat, stirring frequently until sugar completely dissolves. Continue to boil until amber in color, 10 to 12 minutes, without stirring, but you can gently swirl the pan occasionally, if necessary, to even out the color. Remove pan from heat and let set about 30 seconds to allow the bubbling to subside. Tip: it is important to use a large pan that holds at least double the volume of the ingredients. Otherwise, when the cream is added to the hot caramel mixture it could boil up and over if the pan is too small.
  3. Meanwhile, while the caramel is cooking, in a small heavy saucepan over medium low heat, heat the cream until it is hot and just beginning to steam. Remove from heat and set aside to keep warm.
  4. Slowly and carefully pour the warmed whipping cream into the hot caramel mixture, whisking with a wire whisk until smooth. Be careful, the mixture will seem to erupt when the cream is added and the caramel will thicken. If necessary, return the pan to the heat; cook over medium heat until the caramel dissolves, about 1 to 2 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat. Add the butter, and vanilla; stir until the butter is melted. Stir in the chopped pecans. Set aside to cool while preparing the pastry.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Sweet Tart Pastry:
  1. In a medium mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, and salt. With a pastry blender or two knives, cut the butter into the flour mixture until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
  2. In a small bowl, stir together the egg yolk and cream. Pour the egg mixture into the flour mixture and stir until the dough comes together and can be formed into a ball. Tip: If the dough seems too dry and is not forming into a ball, add another tablespoon of cream. Divide the pastry into 2 portions, a larger portion with two-thirds of the pastry and a smaller portion with one-third of the pastry.
  3. On a lightly floured pastry mat or pastry board, and using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll the larger two-thirds portion of pastry to form a circle about 12 inches, and fit into a 9 or 9½ inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Press pastry gently against the sides of the tart pan. You should have about a 1 inch overhang; trim excess pastry to 1 inch. Place on a baking sheet.
  4. Place tart pan on a baking sheet. Spoon the pecan filling into the pastry.
  5. Roll the smaller one-third portion of pastry to form a 9 inch circle; place on top of the pecan filling. Gently fold the 1 inch overhang over the top pastry and press gently to seal the edge.
  6. Bake: Leaving the pan on the baking sheet to catch any drips, bake 40 minutes or until the pastry turns a light golden brown. Remove from oven and cool completely on a wire cooling rack.
  7. Remove the outer metal ring of the tart pan; place the tart pan on top of a large can so that the bottom balances on top of the can and the rim falls to the counter. Slide a thin metal spatula or knife between the bottom crust and the tart pan bottom to release, and then flip the torte upside down onto a serving plate. Tip: You can leave the torte right-side up, however the top has a rough texture where the pastry edge was pressed together. Turning the torte upside down provides a smooth surface for the glaze.
Chocolate Glaze and Topping:
  1. In top of a double boiler over hot water, combine chocolate, corn syrup, and butter. Heat, stirring occasionally, until melted and smooth, 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla. Set aside to cool slightly, stirring occasionally as it cools. The glaze thickens as it cools; the glaze should be like a soft icing, but thin enough to spread easily. Tip: Create a double boiler by filling a saucepan with 2 inches of water and bringing it to a simmer. Place a stainless steel, ceramic, or glass bowl on top of the simmering water, the upper pan should not touch the water.
  2. When the glaze is the right consistency, spoon 3 to 4 tablespoons into a small plastic freezer bag. Put a little piece of tape on corner to reinforce the tip, and then roll over top of bag to keep neater. (You could also use a plastic squeeze bottle with a tip available in decorating stores), Twist the top of the bag to create some pressure to make easier to squeeze out. Cut a tiny corner off the tip of the bag when ready to use.
  3. Using an offset spatula and using remaining glaze, cover the sides of the torte with glaze and then cover the top of the torte, spreading the glaze on top as smooth as possible.
  4. Arrange the pecan halves around the top, gently pressing each pecan into the glaze. Let sit 5 to 10 minutes to allow the glaze to slightly set.
  5. Pipe the reserved glaze in plastic bag over the torte is straight lines. Let the glaze set for 15 to 30 minutes before serving.
Source: The Good Housekeeping Illustrated Book of Desserts, Hearst Corporation, New York, 1991
Yard, Sherry, The Secrets of Baking, Houghton Mifflin Company, New York, 2003