The chocolate pecan tart is a modification of one of America’s favorite tarts, the pecan tart or pecan pie. The pecan pie is the classic dessert of the Southern part of America, and Texas’ newspapers in the late 19th century often listed pecan tart recipes. http://www.foodtimeline.org/foodpies.html#pecan.

There are several methods to make the fillings. In this guide, you will learn how to make chocolate pecan tart from scratch and make the filling using a hand mixer, one of the easiest and most practical ways to make the filling.

You will need a food processor, a mixing bowl, a saucepan, an electric mixer, a fork, an 8 inch/ 20 cm tart pan, a baking parchment, and baking beans or rice. You can make chocolate pecan tart as one large tart or several individual tarts with this method. Use mini tart pans or muffin tins for individual tarts.

The dough needs about 1 hour of chilling time, and the baking time is around 45 minutes. Preparation will take about 45 minutes to 1 hour.

For the pie crust:

• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 5 tbsp cold butter, cubed
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1/2 salt
• 1 egg yolk
• about 1/2 cup of cold water

For the filling:

• 1 tbsp all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup corn syrup
• 3 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 5 tbsp unsalted butter
• 3 tbsp bourbon or other liquor
• 1 cup halved pecan nuts
• 1/2 cup dark cooking chocolate

1. Put all the dry ingredients and cubed butter in the food processor. Use pulse button, process the ingredients until they form coarse meal.
2. Add the egg and the ice water, few tbsp at a time, and process until they form a dough. Add water just enough to make the mixture to form a dough, so you might not need to use all the ice water.
3. Shape the dough into a ball with your hands and wrap with a plastic film. Refrigerate for about 30 minutes.
4. Roll the pastry on a lightly floured surface with a rolling pin. With the rolling pin, transfer the pastry to line the tart pan and trim the edges. Prick the pastry base with a fork. Line with a baking parchment and put in the baking beans on top of the parchment. Refrigerate again for 30 minutes.
5. Bake the crust in an oven at 375 F/ 190 C with the beans for 10 minutes. Remove the beans and bake the crust until golden brown, about 8 more minutes.

1. Preheat the oven to 350F/ 180C.
2. In a saucepan, melt the butter and chocolate on low heat.
3. In a mixing bowl, beat the eggs with the sugar, flour, syrup, butter and chocolate mixture, bourbon and the vanilla extract until they are thick and smooth.
4. Pour 3/4 part of the filling into the crust. Arrange the halved pecans on top of the filling. Pour the rest of the filling.
5. Bake in the oven for around 45 minutes until the filling is set.
6. Serve with a dollop of whipped cream or ice cream.