One Sassy Tart

It's a glorious day when the baking you want to do can be justified as "research" for an upcoming story assignment. I love rooting out details that enrich a story - I really love tasting the details, smelling the details, finding the essences that makes a story authentic.

Imagine my grinning jaw when I decided to test the "Drowning Pool of Praline in a Chocolate Tart" recipe tucked in the back of Paul Newman's book In Pursuit of the Common Good. The subtitle is: Twenty-five Years of Improving the World, One Bottle of Salad Dressing at a Time. Aha! So what's a sweet tart like this doing in a place like that?

Written with his partner A. E. Hotchner, Newman's book is a wonderful, witty read packed with delicious anecdotes and quotes like this one:

"Whenever I do something good, right away I've got to do something bad so I know I'm not going to pieces." The book reminds us that the famous salad dressing started out as a lark, a way to poke fun at how traditional dressings hit the stores in a tightly controlled and competitive marketplace.

This is not a book review, the subject is a sassy tart - and the reason I got into book was that I was scheduled to speak with Nell Newman, Paul's daughter, who co-founded Newman's Own Organics with Peter Meehan. The tart recipe contains one of her signature products - Orange Dark Chocolate - 100% premium organic chocolate.

Research time!

The buttery crust has a shortbread-style crunch that plays well opposite the chewy caramel - and the orange note in the chocolate a delightful counter to the caramel sweetness. This is an elegant dessert best served tableside, not for a tailgate, because you don't want it softening up. I've included the recipe's history here, exactly as it was provided to Dueling Margaritas (and we thank you!).

A DROWNING POOL OF PRALINE IN A CHOCOLATE TART


Our (Newman's Own Organics) organic chocolate came up the big winner when Kaija Keel of Los Angeles used it to win the $50,000 Grand Prize in the Ninth Annual Newman's Own/Good Housekeeping Recipe Contest. Kaija, a professional artist, created this heavenly dessert by combining her own creativity with the recipes handed down by her grandmother. She named it A Drowning Pool of Praline in a Chocolate Tart as a salute to Paul Newman's 1975 film. Kaija donated her prize money to the Delta Society in Los Angeles, an organization that trains therapy animals for the critically ill and physically challenged. She and her dog Garbo are enthusiastic volunteers. The Delta Society will use the prize to expand its training programs to reach even more people.


Tart Shell

3/4 cup butter ( 1 1/2 sticks) softened

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/3 cup confectioners' sugar



Praline-Chocolate Filling

2 bars (3 ounce each) Newman's Own Organics Chocolate, (Sweet Dark Chocolate or Sweet Dark Chocolate or Sweet Dark Chocolate with Orange Oil), broken into pieces

3/4 cup heavy or whipping cream

1 bag (9 1/4 ounce) caramels, unwrapped

1 1/2 cups pecans, toasted and coarsely chopped


Preheat oven to 375 F.


Prepare Tart Shell

Pulse together all tart shell ingredients in a food processor until they form moist crumbs. Sprinkle crumbs in 9-inch tart pan with removable bottom. Press together to form crust on bottom and up sides; prick dough all over with fork. Line tart shell with foil and fill with pie weights, dried beans, or uncooked rice. Bake for 25 minutes. Remove foil and weights and bake for another 15-20 minutes until golden. Press crust with back of spoon if it puffs, and loosely cover dark spots with foil.


Prepare Praline-Chocolate Filling

Combine chocolate and 1/4 cup cream in 1-quart saucepan. Melt, stirring frequently over medium-low heat. Pour chocolate mixture, reserving 2 tablespoons, in bottom of cooled crust; spread evenly. Chill 20 minutes (chill reserved 2 tablespoons also).

In 2-quart saucepan over medium-low heat, heat caramels and remaining 1/2 cup cream until melted and smooth, stirring occasionally. Sir in pecans and quickly pour over chocolate layer. Spread evenly.

In 1-quart saucepan, over low heat, heat reserved chocolate mixture 1 to 2 minutes, stirring until melted, or microwave 10 seconds. Using a fork, drizzle in zigzag pattern over top of tart. Chill at least 1 hour. Store in refrigerator.

Makes 24 servings

Mama Mia's note: The bars are available in 3.25 oz. and 2.25 oz. sizes, so buy 2 bars if you're using the bigger bars for the chocolate sauce, or 3 bars if you're using the smaller size bar. Depending on your fridge, you may need more than an hour to "set" the tart, so make this recipe ahead of your serving schedule. We popped it in the freezer a few minutes to finish the job.

Zoot alors, Jeanne, you must "research" this recipe.

PS: Can't show you the tart. We "researched" it fully. Thus you get the alternate photo from my kitchen.