dulce de leche tart

I went to the dentist this week.

I know, I know, you were expecting a post on how wonderful this recipe is, how indulgent and delicious and special it was.  And it was.

But unfortunately, I won't be making it again soon.  Because my dentist found two cavities in my poor little teeth.  TWO cavities.  As if I was in grade school.  As if I were some gross person who doesn't brush their teeth (I do, I swear!).

So I am making some changes.  This time I will actually start to floss, which has been my New Year's resolution every year since law school.  You know what it means when something is on your New Year's resolution list multiple years in a row?  It's not good, I will tell you that.

My teeth are probably also suffering due to the fact that I love to make dessert recipes that leave us with dozens of cookies, or entire cakes, for just me and Chad.  Which leads to 1) a lot of waste, and 2) a lot of temptation.  So I'm going to make an effort to scale back the portions of some of these recipes, although I'm not starting today.  You could make mini-tarts with these, but you're better off inviting friends over to spread this wonderful treat around.

And I will give up all the 4 pm candy breaks at work, and the after-dinner trips for frozen yogurt, and whatever else I can think of before I give up delicious homemade desserts like this one.  Runny and, yes, indulgent and delicious, I can't recommend this recipe enough.  Just brush your teeth after.

Dulce de Leche Tart Recipe

INGREDIENTS:

For crust:

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

2 tbsp sugar

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter, cold and cut into pieces

1 large egg

2 tbsp water

For filling:

2 cans sweetened condensed milk

1/3 cup chocolate chips

2 tbsp heavy cream

DIRECTIONS:

Poke two or three holes in the top of each of the cans of sweetened condensed milk, or open each lid halfway without peeling the lid back. Place each can in a deep stock pot and fill the pot with water that comes 3/4 of the way up the can. Simmer for 3 hours, making sure to add more water as the liquid cooks off. Remove the cans from the water and allow to cool.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place flour, sugar, salt, butter, one egg, and water in a food processor. Pulse until blended into one large ball of dough. Roll dough out on a floured surface, into an approximately 12″ circle. Roll the dough up onto the pin and lay it on top of a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Press the dough into the pan so it fits into all the edges, particularly on the sides of the tart pan. Trim the excess dough from the edges of the pan. Refrigerate the tart dough for 10 minutes.

Remove the tart from the refridgerator, and line the inside of the tart with aluminum foil. Place pie weights (or dried beans, or rice) in the foil, and bake for 30 minutes (the tart is easier to bake if you place the tart shell on a cookie sheet).

Remove the tart from the oven and remove the foil and pie weights. Return to the oven and continue to bake for another 10-15 minutes, or until the tart’s edges are is golden, but not browned. Place on a counter or table to cool the tart shell.

Pour or spoon the dulce de leche into the tart shell. Microwave the chocolate and heavy cream for 30 second to 1 minute, or until smooth when stirred. Drizzle the chocolate onto the top of the tart, and serve.

Serves 8.