Chocolate Coconut Milk Tart with Hazelnut Crust

We celebrated my moms birthday at the end of last week and I made this chocolate tart in her honor. Hands down, I owe all my interest in cooking to my mom. She was the one I watched every night after school, cooking dinner for my dad, sister and I, all after a long day of work and shuttling us around to music lessons or sports practice. She let me help out in the kitchen early on and I was baking cookies by myself in no time. She still collects little snippets here and there for ideas of what to make and I find myself doing the same, only now we share our ideas together. So making her dinner and dessert was the least I could do.

My mom is also one of those people that can't help but give and make people feel welcome. Constantly seeing if everyone has enough to eat or an extra blanket if it's cold out. Besides the love and knowledge of cooking I gained from her, I hope these are also traits I've inherited.  

I was all over the place when I was thinking about what dessert to make for this special occasion. There are certain things I know my mom dislikes, so it was easy to rule those out. I went back and forth between doing something with chocolate or something with cinnamon, like this cinnamon cake. Chocolate ended up winning that competition when I spotted a bag of hazelnuts. Can you tell I really like this combination? I've posted about chocolate and hazelnut here,  here, and here already, so yeah, I like them together.

If you have an aversion to the taste of coconut, don't worry about tasting it in this recipe, you hardly notice it with all the chocolate and distinct flavor from the hazelnuts coming through. I like using coconut milk in place of heavy cream because I digest it better and end up feeling better the next day. It could just be me, but it also doesn't seem to weigh you down as dairy products sometimes can.

Don't be intimidated by the long winded recipe instructions. I swear it's not as complicated as all that, I just wanted to make sure each step was explained fully. I used full fat coconut milk, you could probably use lite and get similar results. When it comes to the quality of chocolate though, get the best you can afford, it will make a difference. We were lucky enough to have a couple slices left to enjoy for two more days, so if you'd like to make this dessert ahead of time it will be fine, although I would recommend only a day ahead.

Chocolate Coconut Milk Tart with Hazelnut Crust

serves 10-12

for the crust

1 1/4 cup hazelnuts

1/4 cup spelt flour

1/4 cup coconut oil

pinch of salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

for the filling

1 1/4 cup coconut milk

9 ounces (about 1 3/4 cup) bittersweet chocolate, chopped

2 eggs at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 teaspoon salt

for the chocolate glaze

1/2 cup bittersweet chocolate, chopped

2 tablespoons coconut milk

For the crust
Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Place the hazelnuts on a rimmed baking sheet and roast for about 10-15 minutes, or until fragrant and lightly toasted. Remove from the oven and allow to cool wrapped up in a clean towel for about five minutes. Shake the towel to help remove the hazelnut skins, don't worry about some of the skin staying on.

Place the hazelnuts, spelt flour, coconut oil, salt and vanilla in a food processor or high speed blender. Pulse until the hazelnuts become finely ground and everything is combined. Be cafefull not to mix until smooth or you will end up with nut butter, slightly coarse is better.

Place the hazelnut mixture in a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Press evenly across the bottom and up the sides of the pan. Place in the oven and bake until firm, about 10 minutes. It might puff up a little but don't worry. Allow to cool on a wire rack.

For the filling
Place the chocolate in a large bowl and set aside. Heat the coconut milk in a small saucepan over low to medium heat and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and pour over the chocolate. Let sit for about 5 minutes until the chocolate has melted, then stir until smooth.

Meanwhile whisk together the eggs, vanilla and salt. Slowly pour, while whisking, into the chocolate mixture.

Pour the chocolate mixture into prepared crust. Bake until the filling is set 3 inches in from the edge and the center is still wobbly, about 20-25 minutes. It will puff up slightly, but once cool it will recede. Allow to cool completely before adding the glaze to the top.

For the chocolate glaze
Place the chocolate and coconut milk over a double broiler and heat until melted. Pour the glaze over the cooled tart and garnish with extra chopped hazelnuts or chocolate curls. Serve at room temperature or chilled.