While doing a little spring cleaning, I recently discovered an old issue of Martha Stewart’s magazine, very old. The date – February of 2002 – just months after 9/11. The events of that Tuesday morning were still very fresh on our minds in early 2002…our world had changed in ways we hadn’t fully realized yet, but we knew it would never be the same.
I had just returned from a TV news assignment abroad covering our war operations from aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt in the Arabian Sea. Fighter jets were taking off and landing routinely on the flight deck directly above our tiny sleeping quarters. That experience left me with an even greater appreciation of the men and women who serve so selflessly, so any chance I get to say thank you, I do. 🙂
I didn’t have time to read Martha’s magazine when it came out back then but held onto it because it was all about chocolate — a much needed visual and emotional escape from what was going on in the ‘real’ world.
This recipe for a Chocolate Caramel Tart [above] stood out back then, and some 13 years later, I finally decided to give it a go. If decadent, dark chocolate rocks your world, this dessert will send you flying. The recipe is now on Goodtaste!
I used a dark chocolate combo of 65% and 75% cacao. I’m not a fan of sugar bombs, so if you like your chocolate on the sweeter side, 65% is all you need. A little chef’s secret — one of my pastry chef icons is Chef Catherine Rodriguez at The Houstonian, and she always uses Valrhona chocolates in her beautiful creations, so I try to follow her lead.
This dessert pairs nicely with a tawny port, but if you are a fan of sweeter dessert drinks check out the Prima Mazzo Brachetto or the Stivali Sweet Rosso [below] – both are from Italy and both are dessert in a glass. A fun treat on this lovers’ holiday.
Speaking of treats, head to goodtaste.tv for all kinds of Valentine’s ideas and more, plus, sign up for a chance to win a spa getaway at the Hyatt Hill Country Resort’s Windflower Spa.
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