Joyful Almond Tart

I have a friend who loves Almond Joy candy bars. She is not much a sweet eater, but these are her secret indulgence. So I look for fun ways to recreate those flavors in a more celebratory, and maybe a little more sophisticated, treat. I hope you get the title of the recipe now, because I am pretty sure there is a trademark on the original and I don’t want to get in trouble! This is basically a giant coconut macaroon filled with rich chocolate ganache, and really what could be wrong with that. This dessert is easy to make but has a huge pay-off in flavor and creativity. And some scope for decoration. I like toasted almond slices and a little sprinkle of coconut, but you could easily do some whipped cream rosettes topped with a chocolate covered almond, or those large, shaved flakes of coconut.

Beat the egg whites for the crust not whipped or stiff, just opaque and thick. I use may clean hands sometimes to help mix in the coconut – you want all of it thoroughly combined with the egg white mixture. Spray a tart paan really well with cooking spray, this is a sticky mixture. Press it in with your hands over the bottom and up the sides. Slightly wetting your hands can help. Then press it into a tight crust using the flat bottom of a glass or a measuring cup. When you bake it, look for browned edges and a dry appearance (you will see what I mean when you are cooking it), not a damp or shiny look. The filling is 3 ingredients, so I try to use the best I can for all of them – don’t use chips, they don’t melt as smoothly, but a nice bar of chocolate broken into small pieces. I like Guittard or Ghiradelli. Heat the cream until it is just steaming and little bubbles form all over on the top, then pour it over the chocolate and let it sit to soften. Stir it well until everything is smooth. Make sure the butter is at room temperature first or nothing will melt nicely. Let the tart soften just a little before slicing. You can run a knife under hot water to warm the blade, wipe it off, then slice.