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I am in such a good mood I thought I'd make a Chocolate Pecan Tart.

This one has a pecan crust and is filled with a dense chocolate custard cream. And look I put pecans all over the top which were drizzled in even more chocolate. That's how good my mood has turned out to be.

I figure the silly little fact that it is Valentine's Day could possibly account for my mood. I've been lucky in love for many, many years now. Valentine's Day is always a big, gushy reminder to me just how lucky I've been.

But there is more to life than love and chocolate (oh yes there is). You see, it's also a New Year. The pretty possibilities that every New Year brings always makes me smile. Especially this New Year because I still have a grin plastered across my face from the yesterday's good news. The news that I will have a cookbook in a store near you come November 2012!

See now you're smiling too. Now eat your tart, sweetie. GREG

Chocolate Pecan Tart makes one 10-inch tart CLICK here for a printable recipe

• 2 c pecan pieces, lightly toasted
• 3/4 c sugar
• 3 c all-purpose flour
• 8 oz unsalted butter, cubed and cold
• 3 large eggs, divided
  
• 1 t vanilla
• 5 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 5 oz semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
• 1 1/4 c heavy cream
• 2/3 c whole milk
• 1/2 t kosher salt
• 6 oz milk chocolate, melted
• 1 1/2 c whole pecan, lightly toasted

Prepare the dough: Place 2 cups pecan pieces into the bowl of a food processor and pulse a few times. Add the 1/2 cup sugar and flour and continue to pulse until the nuts are finely ground into the mixture. Add the butter, 1 egg and vanilla and process until the mixture resembles coarse meal, 8 to 10 seconds. It should look loose but press together when pinched between your fingers. Divide dough into 2 discs and wrap in plastic. Transfer to the refrigerator and chill at least 1 hour. Dough may be stored, frozen, up to 1 month. You only need one disc for this recipe, save the rest for another use.

Prepare the tart: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Choose a 10-inch tart pan with removable bottom. Place the dough round on the bottom. Use your fingertips to press the dough evenly over the bottom and up the sides of the mold or tart pan about at about 1/4-inch thickness. Trim off excess dough, or leave the edge rustic as you prefer. Bake the shell 25 to 30 minutes until golden brown. Rotating the pan halfway through. Let the tart shell cool completely before continuing.

Reduce the oven to 275 degrees.

Combine bittersweet semi and sweet chocolates in a medium bowl.

In a medium sauce pan set over medium-high heat bring the cream, milk and remaining 1/4 cup sugar, to a boil. Remove from heat and let cool somewhat, about 5 minutes. Then pour about 1/3 of the cream mixture over the chocolate, whisking until melted. Add the remaining warm cream mixture to the chocolate mixture, stirring to combine.

In a large bowl whisk the 2 remaining eggs until well combined. Pour about 1/3 of the chocolate cream mixture over the eggs, whisk to combine. Add the remaining chocolate mixture. Whisk to combine. Add salt and whisk to combine.

Fill the cooled crust with the chocolate, cream and egg mixture, put the tart on a baking sheet and transfer to heated oven. Bake rotating halfway through until the edges of the custard are set, but the center still wiggles, about 30 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Lay the 1 1/2 cups whole pecans attractively on the surface of the cooled tart. Drizzle the melted milk chocolate in a thin stream over the nuts in a lacy pattern. Move the tart to the refrigerator about 30 minutes to set the milk chocolate. The bring to room temperature and serve.

Greg Henry writes the food blog Sippity Sup- Serious Fun Food, and contributes the Friday column on entertaining for The Back Burner at Key Ingredient. He’s active in the food blogging community, and a popular speaker at IFBC, Food Buzz Festival and Camp Blogaway. He’s led cooking demonstrations in Panama & Costa Rica, and has traveled as far and wide as Norway to promote culinary travel. He’s been featured in Food & Wine Magazine, Los Angeles Times, More Magazine, The Today Show Online and Saveur’s Best of the Web. Greg also co-hosts The Table Set podcast which can be downloaded on iTunes or at Homefries Podcast Network.

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