This Pomegranate Raspberry Mint Chocolate Tart is not only super easy to make but full of complex flavors. The filling is made of eggs, heavy cream and bittersweet chocolate. The pomegranate mint glaze provides just the right amount of sweet tang to cut through the heavy filling. I like to top it with fresh raspberries and chunks of pomegranate but you can choose any variety of berries. This is a perfect way to end a romantic dinner or even a holiday celebration!
A few weeks ago, one of my friends brought over some fresh pomegranates. Her friend has a pomegranate tree and had a ton of extra fruit that wasn't being used. I was more than happy to take them off of her hands! I LOVE pomegranates! They are juicy and sweet and tart but so much work to peel.
I live in El Paso, Texas, and my friend's pomegranate tree is in the neighboring town of Las Cruces, New Mexico. The desert climate is absolutely beautiful here especially in the fall/ winter. Always sunny, vast open skies and sunsets, and gorgeous views of the Organ Mountains. One of the benefits of living in the desert is that our pomegranate season lasts a little bit longer here, so I can get juicy perfect pomegranates all they way into December/ January.
After peeling and eating a ton of pomegranates, I knew that I wanted to try and make a recipe with them. What goes perfect with pomegranate? Dark chocolate!! Valentines Day is also around the corner so I decided that a chocolate tart would be perfect!
The hardest part of this recipe might be the tart crust but that's because crusts in general can be difficult to get right. When starting out, it's very common for crusts to crack or even shrink with baking. But don't give up!! I promise it gets easier with practice. Once you perfect making the crust, you will be able to make any tart and pie recipe you come across without even thinking about it.
After you conquer the crust, the rest of the battle is downhill. The filling is a simple concoction of eggs, heavy cream, and bittersweet chocolate. It is rich and decadent and oh so smooth. The glaze is a slow reduction of pomegranate juice and mint, which creates a thick, super sweet, and tangy layer on top, that brightens up the rich chocolate with a fruity mint pairing. The mint is really just a hint in the background, but it ties it all together and lightens up all the flavors. Then last but not least; top your tart with fresh raspberries and extra pomegranate seeds, and design it to your liking. Get creative! It really can't get more delicious.
Tips:
- This tart crust is different from a pie crust. It is not supposed to be flaky and airy but more dense and flat.
- If your crust looks too dry to you, its not. Do not add more water! If you can pinch it together its done! If you add too much water it will shrink in the oven.
- Do not skip the rest time. I know its tempting but your dough NEEDS to rest and your butter needs to get cold. If not your crust will shrink in the pan and you won't be able to fit your filling in it!
- Don't skip the pie weights! This helps prevent your crust from shrinking! If you do not have pie weights you can use uncooked rice or beans or even oatmeal. This just helps your crust keep its shape.
- Baking your crust at a high temp (425) helps keep your crust from shrinking!
- Take your time with your glaze. You do not want to burn it and it takes awhile to evaporate all that water. But its worth it because what you are left with is fruity, sweet, pomegranate goodness!
- Make sure to cool the tart before you add the glaze or it will run all over the place.
- It may seem like a lot of mint, but its not....it is the prefect balance!
Get ready to impress everyone because this tart is literally a show stopper. It looks and tastes like a tart from a high end bakery and you get all the bragging rights! It is absolutely gorgeous with that shiny reflective glaze and the clustered balance of fresh, red, bright fruits, topped with a few mint leaves for a contrast in color.... its beautiful.
Lastly, if you try out this recipe, be sure to leave a comment/rating on how they turned out. I love hearing from you guys and will try my best to reply to every comment! And don't forget to tag me on Instagram!
Pomegranate Raspberry Mint Chocolate Tart
Ingredients
Crust
- 2 cups flour
- 3 tablespoon sugar
- ¾ cup salted butter
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon ice water
Filling
- 12 oz bittersweet chocolate
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 eggs
- 3 tablespoon sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Glaze
- 2 cups pomegranate juice
- 3 tablespoon sugar
- large handful of mint leaves
Instructions
Crust
- In a large bowl combine the flour, sugar and salt. Then add the cut up cold butter and mix until just combined and you have a sandy consistency.
- Add your egg and mix. Then add your cold water and mix until just combined. Do not over mix.
- Knead dough into a ball and place in fridge to rest for 1 hour.
- Use a rolling pin to roll out your dough into a circle about 12 inch wide. Then place into your tart pan. Trim the excess edges.
- Use fork to poke a few holes into the base of your tart crust. Place it back into the Fridge for about 30 minutes. Pre Heat oven to 425 degrees.
- Place parchment paper and pie weights in your pie crust and bake your crust at 425 degrees for 15 minutes. Then take out your parchment paper/ pie weights and continue baking for another 10 minutes.
Filling
- Lower the temperature of your oven to 350.
- Warm your cream on the stove. Then add your chocolate and whisk until melted.
- Take it off the heat and add the sugar, salt and eggs.
- Pour filling into pie crust and bake again at 350 for 25 minutes. Once done take out and let it cool completely.
- Now make the glaze. In a pot on the stove simmer your pomegranate juice, sugar and mint leaves on a medium low heat. Let your juice simmer low and slow. Do so until your glaze has reduced and is thick . This may take up to an hour. Then remove your mint leaves and let cool. I used about 10 mint stems or 80 mint leaves. Basically a large handful. I also kept my mint leaves on the stem so it was easier to remove.
- Once cooled, pour your glaze on top of your tart. Be careful not to over pour, so your glaze does not pour over the edges.
- Now its time to decorate your tart with your pomegranate seeds, raspberries and extra mint leaves on top of your glaze. Make it look pretty and get creative, no rules here!
- Serve at room temperature and enjoy!
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