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sinfully delicious: ganache goodness

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tomorrow we're celebrating my mom's birthday.  (her actual birthday was yesterday.)  and i'm in charge of making the birthday "cake".  my mom loves chocolate, so each year i try a new decadently chocolate delight...always in search of the ultimate chocolate indulgence.

real simple inspiration

this year, i was inspired by a "real simple" recipe for a hazelnut ganache tart with sea salt.  but you know me, i can never just follow a recipe...  so i modified it a bit to better suit my mom's chocolate preferences : )

instead of hazelnuts, a medley of almonds and pecans.  instead of a chocolate cookie crust, an orange butter wafer crust instead.  (my mom's favorite is dark chocolate with orange.)

the recipe...that i changed...

ganache goodness...my way : )

1/2 cup almonds + 1/4 cup pecans (3/4 cup total)
1 1/2 cups crushed orange wafer cookies (approximately 30 wafers)
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) butter, melted
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
12 oz semisweet chocolate morsels
1 teaspoon flaky sea salt

ingredients
1.heat oven to 350° F. spread the nuts on a large rimmed baking sheet and toast in oven, tossing occasionally, 10 to 12 minutes.

roasted almonds & pecans
2.in a food processor, finely grind ½ cup of the nut mixture. add the crushed cookies and butter and pulse until moistened. press the mixture into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch removable-bottom fluted tart pan.
3.place crust on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until dry, 10 to 12 minutes (if the crust puffs up during baking, gently press it down with the back of a spoon). let cool in the pan on a wire rack.

ganache - step one
ganache - step two
4.meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, bring the cream just to a boil. remove from heat and whisk in the chocolate until smooth. pour into the cooled tart shell. refrigerate until set, about 1 hour.

waterfall of delight
5.chop the remaining ¼ cup nuts and sprinkle on the tart.

the final result
6.sprinkle with the salt just before serving. for the easiest slicing, use a thin, sharp knife, wiping it clean and running it under hot water between slices.

for the original recipe from "real simple" click {here}

mmm...mmm...good

are you feeling creative?  i think a pretzel & peanut crust would be delicious and then top the ganache filling with chopped roasted peanuts or maybe even add a peanut butter swirl in the ganache.  or maybe a vanilla sugar cookie crust and then top each slice with homemade whipped cream and berries... yummy!

i am sooo looking forward to finally trying my creation tomorrow night.  i have a feeling it's going to be divine.  how can you go wrong with chocolate?

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Cailen Ascher