Chocolate Peppermint Tart

Yay! Christmas! Crazy toddlers, flour on the counter and in your hair, and enthusiastic Christmas songs on the radio are enough to make anyone crazy but since it's Christmas, you embrace the chaos and hum along to Jingle Bells.  In our family we have three big dinners during the Christmas season. The first dinner on the 23rd with my mom's birthday, than Christmas Eve dinner, and Christmas day dinner (which is a little more of a lunch).  Each dinner needs some sort of dessert. For my mom's birthday I made a yellow cake with buttercream frosting and a layer of lemon in the center. And on Christmas day we don't have a set tradition. But my favorite dessert is the one I make for Christmas Eve. The Chocolate Peppermint Tart.  It makes enough for a huge family because it is so rich, so you only need to serve small slices and all the kids like it.  It's delicious, smooth, festive, and pretty to look at. So all the elements needed in a Christmas dessert. It is a little time consuming due to the crust making that occurs, and everyone knows making crusts are the worst. My mom likes to say that the crust dough can feel your mood and the weather, so keep the windows tightly shut, and work with it gently.

Chocolate Peppermint Tart

Crust:
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
10 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, diced
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 1/2 tsp cold whole milk

Filling:
1 1/4 cups whipping cream
1/4 cup light corn syrup
12 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
1 ounce unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup crushed candy canes

Topping:
3 1/2 cups chilled whipping cream
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1 3/4 tsp peppermint extract
1 tbsp crushed candy canes

Instructions:
Crust: Blend the flour, sugar, powder, and salt in a food processor.  Add the butter and vanilla, pulse until the butter forms pea-sized pieces.  Add the milk and blend until the mixture forms small and moist clumps, gather dough into a ball and flatten in into a disk.  Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour. (Can make and chill filling in this time period) Roll out dough on a floured surface unto a twelve-inch round.  Press dough onto the bottom and up the sides of a 10 inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Take the extra edges and fold them over and press to form thick sides.  Freeze for 20 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350°. Bake the crust for about 30 minutes, or until brown.  Transfer it to a rack and cool.

Filling: Bring cream and corn syrup to a simmer in a medium saucepan, then remove pan from heat.  Add all the chopped chocolate and whisk until smooth. Cool for 30 minutes. Pour the filling into the crust and sprinkle with 1/2 cup of candy. Chill until set, about 3 hours.

Topping: Make this right before serving.  Using a mixer beat all the topping ingredients until they form stiff peaks.  Spread or pipe it on top of the filling. I personally like to cut a 3/4 inch sized hole in the corner of a gallon sized bag, fill it with the topping and pipe little rosettes that mound in the center. Spreading with a knife works equally well.  Sprinkle the top with the remaining candy cane bits and serve.