Chocolate Strawberry Truffle Tart

Happy Monday, everyone! Welcome to my new and improved blog. Some of you know I used to have a subdomain at WordPress, but I decided to get my own domain name, so this is very exciting for me. I know it’s been a very long time since I’ve posted anything, so I apologize; I will try to start posting on a regular basis. I have made a lot of changes and improvements so I hope you like the new look and feel of things. Anyways, let’s get down to business. I love chocolate. And I love strawberries. Together, the combination is just pure awesomeness. Who doesn’t love chocolate and strawberries? Well, a few days ago, I was asked to make a strawberry dessert. I thought to myself, okay, no problem. But, when it actually came to picking a “strawberry dessert,” I just could not pick. I was torn because when I see pictures of food, I just open several tabs and just have a hard time picking something. It happens all the time. When I try recipes, food pictures usually catch my attention. I eat with my eyes first. Then, I usually go through the ingredient list. Or simply, I will just read a title of a recipe. If it sounds good then I’ll make it. And guess what? It just so happened that I saw the words “chocolate strawberry truffle.” I immediately closed all the other tabs and said “Ooh, I’m definitely making that!” The recipe itself is very easy. The crust is the best part. I love a good crust, whether it is a pie crust or cookie crust. Basically you just have to crush up cookies, throw in some sugar and butter and then bake until golden brown. Yum! The chocolate dessert ended up being a success! It was so good that it was completely devoured within 48 hours. Can you believe that? Sometimes the most simple things can blow you away. Enjoy! Yield: 9-inch tart ; serves about 6-8 people Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
• 3/4 cup crushed shortbread cookies
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup butter, melted
• 1 1/4 cups heavy whipping cream
• 12 ounces 55% to 60% bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 pounds small strawberries

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375°.
2. Combine first 4 ingredients in a medium bowl. Press cookie mixture into an ungreased 9-inch tart pan. Bake 7 to 10 minutes. Cool completely.
3. Heat cream in a saucepan over medium-low heat until hot but not boiling. Remove from heat; add chocolate, stirring until smooth. Stir in vanilla extract. Pour chocolate filling into tart shell, and set aside until cool but not completely firm.
4. Cut tops from strawberries. Arrange berries as desired, on top of chocolate filling. Chill tart until firm.

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