Orange and rose chocolate ganache tart and a spot of meringue rage

Posted by petra08 on November 28, 2014 · 15 Comments 

I set out to do what I usually don’t, baking. I approached it in a very scientific way.I got all of the ingredients out and made sure I had enough of everything before starting. I had found an irresistible  recipe for a Pomegranate Meringue Rose Tart. Go ahead, click on the link and have a look. What caught my eye was the meringue, so light and fluffy, it looked just delicious. It all went to well until it was time for the meringue, I will tell you why below but I could feel the little hairs on my neck rising and the kitchen got very hot for a while there. Needless to say and to make it even worse it was my own fault! The only good thing I can say in my defence was that it tasted good.

 

I changed some ingredients, I didn’t have any pistachio nuts and I am not too keen on white chocolate and so on so here is my version.

 

Tart with chocolate ganache and pomegranate meringue (sort of)

preparation time 5 minutes 

cooking time 20 minutes 

oven 190C or 375 F

serves 6-8

Ingredients

The almond and hazelnut tart base

• 1 1/2 dl or 3/4 cup ground almonds
• 1/2 dl or 1/4 cup sugar
• 3 dl or 1 1/2 cup plain flour
• 1/2 dl or 1/4cup chopped hazelnuts
• 125 gr butter
• 1 egg yolk
• 1/2 dl or 1/4 cup cold water

The chocolate, orange and rose ganache

• 350 gr or 12.3 oz chocolate,I used a mix of milk and dark
• 1 dl or 1/2 cup orange juice
• 1 tsp dried rosepetals
• 10 gram or 0.3 oz butter

For the pomegranate meringue

• 2 dl or 1 cup of sugar
• 1 dl or 1/2 cup pomegranate juice
• 4 egg whites
• 2 tsp red food colouring

Garnish

• 1 dl or 1/2 cup pomegranate seeds

Mix the dry ingredients, the almond flour, sugar, chopped hazelnuts and the plain flour. Cut the butter in to cubes and mix, I find it easier to do this by hand. When it is mixed add the egg yolk and the cold water and bind the dough together. Let the dough rest for an hour in the fridge.

 

Roll the dough out and dress a tart tin. 

 

Prick the base with a fork and bake.

 

Whilst the tart is cooling make the ganache. Melt the chocolate. Place the orange juice, the rosepetals and the butter in a pan.

 

 

Add the orange, butter and rose petal mix to a pan and heat until the butter is melted. Add this to the chocolate, stir gently and add to the baked tart pastry.

 

 

As it had cooled a little I added pomegranate seeds and let cool completely. So far so good. I had a wonderful vision that my version of this tart would draw some oh and ah’s but that was with the meringue.

 

I got my kitchen aid out, this was serious business, I read how to make the meringue three times (just in case) when I realised that I didn’t have any cream of tartar and this stressed me so much I promptly forgot all about the corn starch. I had all the rest.

Melt the pomegranate juice with the sugar until it starts to thicken slightly. Whisk the meringues until they are stiff and you can turn the bowl upside down and the meringue is staying inside. Whisk and slowly add the pomegranate syrup. Last add red food colouring, I was after a beautiful pink shade.

It looked ok, it tasted divine but it didn’t stiffen no matter how much I whisked it. It was lush and thick but simply refused to stiffen up.

 

I tasted it and poured the batch in to a bowl and set aside and started again. I was muttering to myself but not a big deal as I had plenty more ingredients. Somehow I managed to again forget the corn starch but this time the meringue firmed up. I managed to add it to the tart, it wasn’t as high as the original but it looked ok. This batch had a strange slight blue tint and I wasn’t too keen on it but it again tasted ok.

 

 

I decided to work with this and placed it in the oven to brown it. My rage started when I managed to actually burn it. I was quite upset by my stupid mistake, the slight burnt smell just seemed to fuel my anger! Silly I know but I like it when it it, you know, perfect.

I took the camera out but could not get myself to even take a picture of this failure. Not only did it burn the meringue was reduced to a runny, blueish mush! I did put it back in to the oven (don’t ask me why), this time it didn’t burn but it looked quite awful.

 

 

I let the tart cool and this time I had to stop for some deep breathing. Guests were starting to arrive and no point in greeting them when upset as I was very happy they were here! We had drinks, the amuse bouche, the starter and by then I decided to simply angle the tart enough to scrape off the offensive, runny meringue and keep the chocolate tart. The chocolate was firm enough and I added a few more pomegranate seeds. Amazingly enough the pastry was lovely and firm, very nutty and the chocolate looked perfect.

I poured the thick but not firm meringue in to a bowl and served it. It isn’t dangerous to eat, no one was sick or pregnant and it tasted divine.

 

 

 

I need to go and get some cream of tartar and the corn starch will be lined up as I will do this again. I loved the chocolate and the pastry despite that it could be a bit thinner. And next time the meringue will rise high and beautiful, just like on the original but I would still stay away from the white chocolate and stick to the mix of milk and dark. Everyone actually went for seconds so the tart was a success, just not how I had imagined it.

 

The chocolate ganache an the tart was so good I decided to bring it to Angie’s Fiesta Friday, with the meringue on the side. This week her co hosts are Prudy, Butter, Basil and Breadcrumbs and Jess, Cooking Is My Sport. Both are very good cooks, check out Jess’ carnitas, who doesn’t love to tuck in to some gorgeous looking, slow cooked pork. Prudy bakes and cooks delicious looking foods and I had to ban myself from reading her blog late at night as it always makes me so hungry! If you have cooked come and join us, or just come on over and have a look at some of the most amazing dishes you will find in one place!

 

 

 

 

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Filed under Dessert, Egg, Fruit, Recipe · Tagged with chocolate ganache, chocolate tart, meringue, pomegranate, tart