chocolate coconut tart

 

holy snow day!!! my neck of the woods is getting hit with snow all week long which means i am staying in the kitchen where it is warm. today is part two of valentine's week & of course it involves chocolate. when it comes to valentine's day, i am quite traditional in the sense that there has to be chocolate. flowers i can do without, but give me ALL the chocolate desserts i can handle! this chocolate coconut tart is so decadent, it will satisfy every chocolate lovers craving. it is a no bake tart with a ganache style filling. to give it a coconut flavour twist, i incorporated flaked coconut in the graham cracker crust & used lorann oils coconut bakery emulsion in the chocolate filling! it adds the perfect punch of coconut flavour without over powering the richness from the dark chocolate & cream. because the tarts main ingredient is dark chocolate, i reccomend using the highest quality chocolate you can get your hands on!

ingredients

for the crust

  • 2 cups graham cracker crumbs
  • 1/3 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
  • 1/3 cup white sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon lorann oils coconut bakery emulsion

for the filling

  • 1 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon lorann oils coconut bakery emulsion
  • 1 pinch sea salt
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold & cubed
  • 200 grams high quality dark chocolate, roughly chopped
  • coconut chips, for topping

directions

for the crust

  • in a large mixing bowl toss together the graham cracker crumbs, coconut, sugar and sea salt.
  • add the butter, vanilla extract & coconut emulsion. stir well.
  • pour mixture into one large or two small tart pans. shape into a firm crust & refrigerate while you prepare the filling.

for the filling

  • in a saucepan over medium heat add the heavy cream, sugar, vanilla extract, coconut emulsion & salt. stir occasionally & bring to a boil.
  • immediately remove pan from heat & add the butter cubes + chopped chocolate. stir vigorously until the mixture is silky & smooth.
  • pour into the pre-baked crust & place in fridge.
  • chill tart for two hours to set. sprinkle with coconut chips before serving.

earl grey caramel s'mores

 

it is time for round two of epic s'mores with ghirardelli's chocolate squares! for this s'more i wanted to go a little less traditional & introduce an ingredient you have probably never come across in a s'more: earl grey tea. i am sure you have already figured out that i LOVE earl grey tea. what i love even more is incorporating the strong & distinctive flavour of earl grey into my desserts. the flavour of the bergamot comes through so well when incorporated with other ingredients. while i have done waffles, cakes & other baked goods before i thought it was time to expand the flavour of earl grey even more. earl grey caramel AND earl grey marshmallow topped with ghirardelli's dark chocolate sea salt caramel sqaure yes please! i paired it with ghirardelli's milk chocolate caramel square for the kids or kids at heart like myself. it was so fun serving these s'mores to see if people could distinguish the unique & bold flavour they were tasting. these marshmallows make for a great dessert on their own & you can drizzle the caramel sauce on just about anything you can think of... anything :)

p.s. last time i made homemade graham crackers for my s'mores! because they were so good compared to the boxed version, i made them again for this round of s'mores! you can get the recipes for those here.

ingredients

for the earl grey marshmallows

  • 1/2 cup + 1/2 cup strong brewed earl grey, room temperature
  • 3/4 ounces gelatin
  • 2 cups white sugar
  • 2/3 cup white corn syrup
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup corn starch
  • 1/2 cup powdered sugar

for the earl grey caramel

  • 1 cup white sugar
  • 1/3 cup strong earl grey tea, room temperature
  • 1/3 cup heavy cream
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon sea salt

for the earl grey caramel s'mores

directions

  • for the earl grey marshmallows: line a 13x9 baking dish with parchment paper & grease with oil. add 1/2 cup earl grey tea & gelatin into the bowl of a stand mixer. let stand until the gelatin softens, about 10 minutes. add remaining earl grey tea into a sauce pan over medium heat. add sugar, corn syrup & salt. stir until sugar dissolves. increase heat to high & boil (do not stir) until temperature reaches 230-250 degrees, about 6-8 minutes. using the whisk attachment, turn on mixer to low speed & slowly pour in boiling hot syrup. once syrup is mixed evenly with the gelatin, add vanilla & increase speed to high. beat until mixture is thick & fluffy, about 15 minutes. pour into baking dish immediately & let stand at room temperature until firm, about 2-3 hours. sift corn starch & powdered sugar over mixture before slicing. toss each slice in the powdered mixture as well.

  • for the earl grey caramel: in a saucepot add the sugar and earl grey tea over medium high heat. do NOT stir while bringing mixture to a boil. continue to boil until the sugar turns a deep amber colour (approximately 5 minutes). be sure not to burn the caramel, it will go from a deep amber to burnt VERY quickly. remove from heat and immediately whisk in the heavy cream, butter, vanilla & sea salt. cool to room temperature before serving. store in the fridge covered for up to two weeks.

  • for the earl grey caramel s'mores: layer graham cracker with earl grey marshmallow and broil or roasted over a fire until toasted. drizzle with earl grey caramel sauce & top with a ghirardelli chocolate square.

this post was created in partnership with ghirardelli chocolate! thank you for supporting the brands that support this blog. xo

dessert chocolate + cheese board

 

growing up my parents took us to quite a few fancy restaurants in niagara-on-the-lake & fine dining restaurants on cruise ships. they wanted us to be part of every celebration & every milestone they reached. whenever we went to these types of restaurants & it was time for the dessert menu to be served, it always had a local cheese board dish on it. i never understood how cheese was considered a dessert?! it was probably because my knowledge of cheese didn't stretch past the basic marble cheddar & kraft singles i was used to eating... two cheeses i wouldn't dare to eat now. as i got older, it all began to make sense. pairing creamy style cheeses with fruits, nuts, jam & of course chocolate was the best way to end a perfect meal.

today i am teaming up with my friends at ghirardelli to present to you the ultimate dessert cheese board to serve at any party! be it awards, game day, or a casual gathering with friends, everyone is sure to find something they love on this board! now the star of this platter doesn't necessarily have to be the cheese, it can be all the fun chocolate you pair with it too! because you can't have dessert without a little chocolate i paired the cheese board with ghirardelli's snack line of chocolate covered treats! they make for the best finger foods as you saw in my previous salted cashew trail mix recipe (which you can find here). this board contains chocolate covered sea salt cashews, sea salt almonds, blueberries, and toasted coconut.. it has every flavour you can dream of.

ingredients

  • 1 4.8 oz package of ghirardelli milk chocolate sea salt cashew
  • 1 4.8 oz package of ghirardelli milk chocolate sea salt almond
  • 1 4.8 oz package of ghirardelli dark chocolate blueberry
  • 1 4.8 oz package of ghirardelli milk chocolate toasted coconut
  • 1 wheel extra creamy brie
  • 1/4 wheel extra creamy danish blue cheese
  • 1 orange, thinly sliced
  • 1 pomegranate, seeded
  • 1 cup fresh blueberries
  • 1 pear, thinly sliced
  • 1 baguette, thinly sliced & toasted

directions

  • on a large wood serving board place the brie & blue cheese.
  • arrange all other ingredients around it starting with the fruit, chocolate & baguette slices.