Flavanols, the compounds in dark chocolate that have been associated with cognitive health, are also found in other delicious treats: red wine and coffee are good sources, too.

Type:  Dessert

Tip: 

Ingredients

Serves 7-8
Chocolate Tart Dough

• 1 cup minus 2 Tbsps unbleached all-purpose flour
• 2 Tbsps + 2 tsps cocoa powder
• ½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into 8 pieces
• ½ cup + 2 Tbsps powdered sugar
• 1 egg yolk

Dark Chocolate Topping

• 6 ½ oz high quality dark chocolate (70% preferable), chopped
• ¾ cup light cream
• 1 egg yolk
• Extra dark chocolate shavings on top for decoration

Strawberry Filling

• ½ cup strawberry jam
• 2 baskets of strawberries, sliced (or enough to cover bottom of tart shell)

Preparation

Chocolate Tart Dough

1. Sift together flour and the cocoa powder. Set aside.
2. Cream butter and powdered sugar in a stand mixer or with a hand-held mixer. When well-beaten, add the egg yolk and beat until blended. Add half the flour/cocoa mixture and beat in until it becomes crumbly. Add the remaining flour/cocoa and mix in just until dough holds together.
3. Form dough into a disc and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or up to overnight.
4. Remove dough from the refrigerator and roll out the dough between 2 sheets of plastic wrap to 1/8 inch thickness. If it crumbles, just press it back together. (The plastic wrap should help it stay together as you roll.
5. Gently place the dough in a tart pan, and use your fingertips to press the sides into the bottowm to make sure it is well fitted. Using your rolling pin, roll over the top of the tart shell to cut off any excess dough and give you a neat edge. Prick all over the base of the dough with a fork. Place in the freezer for 10-15 minutes.
6. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Bake chilled tart until crust is dry to the touch, about 15 minutes. Let cool while you make the chocolate cream.

7. Dark Chocolate Topping

8. Place the chopped chocolate and cream in a saucepan and cook over a low heat, until chocolate has melted. Remove from the heat and beat in the egg yolk with a whisk. Set aside.

To Assemble the Tart

1. Spread a layer of strawberry jam inside the cooled tart shell.
2. Lay strawberry slices on top of the jam and cover the base of the tart. Try to keep them in a single layer, without piling them up too high.
3. Pour the chocolate cream over the strawberries and smooth out with a knife or spatula. Decorate the top with a few strawberry slices in the middle and shavings of dark chocolate (if using).
4. Chill in the refrigerator until chocolate cream has firmed, about one hour.

ABOUT THE BLOGGER
Jen Bernstein: localappetiteny.com
Jen is a food obsessed girl from Queens, who moved to Manhattan, and did short stints in Madrid, Spain and Atlanta, Georgia before happily settling (for now) in Brooklyn. Every place she has lived has influenced her tastes and expanded her views on food. No other author has influenced her thoughts and beliefs as much as Michael Pollan. Jen was fortunate enough to grow up in a household where they always ate dinner together around six o'clock. Food was very important and they never skimped on it, but it was rarely made from scratch. Cooking was a chore, not for fun. As an adult, Jen couldn't disagree more. Cooking makes her happy, while baking puts a smile to Jen's face and makes her forget about any troubles. While she was in school Jen worked in many front of the house positions and after law school did a brief stagiere in the pastry department at Eleven Madison Park. Her at-home cooking philosophy is to buy the best ingredients she can afford, and whenever possible support local businesses and purveyors. If it's grown nearby, that's her first choice. This doesn't mean she is about to give up lemons and avocadoes because she lives in the Northeast. Jen started Local Appetite to learn about the ingredients that are local to her region, but also as a journal for the things that she creates in her kitchen, as she believes homemade is always best.