Chocolate macadamia tarts - country living

6 servings

Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient
1½ cup Macadamia nuts, finely ground
¼ cup Unsifted all-purpose flour
½ cup Plus 2 T heavy cream
3 (1-oz) squares semisweet
Chocolate, finely chopped
1 pack (8-oz) cream cheese, softened
⅓ cup Granulated sugar
2 Large eggs
2 tablespoons Creme de Cacao, or other chocolate-flavored
⅓ cup Granulated sugar
½ teaspoon Ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons Butter, melted liqueur
Vanilla Sauce (recipe follows)
Chocolate-Dipped Whole Macadamia Nuts (opt., recipe follows)
Semisweet chocolate curls
(opt.
Confectioners' sugar (opt.)

Directions

MACADAMIA NUT CRUST

CHOCOLATE FILLING

1. Prepare Macadamia Nut Crust: In medium-size bowl, combine ground mac- cadamia nuts, flour. granulated sugar, and cinnamon. Stir in melted butter until blended. With fingers, press crust mixture into bottom and sides of six 4-inch fluted tart pans set aside.

2. Prepare Chocolate Filling: In 1-quart saucepan, heat ½ C cream over medium heat. Place chocolate in small bowl. When cream begins to boil, remove from heat; pour over chocolate, Stirring constantly until chocolate melts and mixture is smooth, set aside.

3. Heat oven to 325'F. In large bowl, with electric mixer, beat cream cheese until smooth. Add granulated sugar and beat on medium speed 3 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Beat in remaining 2 tablespoons cream and the Creme de Cacao. Stir in chocolate mixture.

4. Divide filling among tart shclls; bake 25 to 30 minutes or until filling appears set. Cool tarts completely in pans on wire rack.

Cover and refrigerate tarts until ready to serve. Meanwhile, prepare Vanilla Sauce and, if desired, Chocolate-Dipped Whole Macadamia Nuts and chocolate curls.

5. To serve, spoon Vanilla Sauce onto each of 6 dessert plates. Place a Chocolate Macadamia Tart on top of Vanilla Sauce; garnish each tart with chocolate curls and confectioners' sugar, if desired. Arrange 8 dipped nuts in sauce around each tart, if desired.

Vanilla Sauce: In 1-quart saucepan, combine ½ C heavy cream and ⅓ C milk; cook over medium heat just until bubbles form around edge of pan. Remove from heat. In medium-size bowl-beat together 3 T sugar and 2 large egg yolks. Gradually pour cream mixture into yolk mixture, stirring constantly. Pour mixture back into saucepan; cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until thickened. (Do not boil.) Strain Vanilla Sauce into bowl; stir in 1 t vanilla extract. Cover and re- frigerate until ready to serve.

Chocolate-Dipped Whole Macadamia Nuts; Line baking sheet with waxed pa- per. Melt 3 1-oz squares semi- sweet chocolate in top of double boiler over simmering water. Dip one side of 48 whole macadamia nuts in chocolate; set dipped nuts on lined baking sheet. Refrigerate until chocolate hardens.

THE LODGE AT KOELE Country Living/Dec/90 Scanned & fixed by DP and GG

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