ScarlettChocolate Crunch Torte with Pistachios and Sour Cherries
August 21st 2008 10:37
Chocolate Crunch Torte with Pistachios and Sour Cherries
About Pistachio Nuts
The pistachio (Pistacia vera L., Anacardiaceae; sometimes placed in Pistaciaceae) is a small tree up to 10 m tall, native to mountainous regions of Iran, Turkmenistan and western Afghanistan. It has deciduous pinnate leaves 10–20 cm long.
When the fruit ripens, the husk changes from green to an autumnal yellow/red and the shells split partially open (see photo). This is known as dehiscence, and happens with an audible pop.
Each pistachio nut weighs around 1 gram, [1] and each pistachio tree averages around 50 kg of nuts, or around 50,000, every two years. [2] Pistachios (as part of the pistacia genus) have existed for about 80 million years.
About Sour Cherries
Cherry trees produce two types of berries: sweet cherries are firm, heart-shaped deep red, purple-black or golden colored berries (bing, lambert, tartarian, royal ann); sour cherries are smaller, softer and rounder (early richmond, montmorency, morello). Marischino cherries are made from royal anns.
Sour cherries are a rich source of antioxidants, including melatonin, which may help to relieve the pain of arthritis, gout, and possibly fibromyalgia. To date, no other fruit or vegetable has been found to have the pain relieving properties of sour cherries. In addition, the antioxidants in sour cherries can help fight cancer and heart disease.
INGREDIENTS
Serves 12
225 gm / 8 oz dark chocolate with 70-75% cocoa solids, broken into small pieces
110 gm / 4 oz unsalted pistachio nuts, roughly chopped
50 gm / 2 oz dried sour cherries
50 gm / 2 oz raisins
3 tablespoons rum
50 gm / 2 oz butter
150 ml / 5 fl oz double cream, lightly whipped
225 gm / 8 oz sweet oat biscuits, roughly chopped
For dusting
cocoa powder, sifted
To serve
crème fraîche, whipped cream or pouring cream
1. Soak the dried cherries and raisins in the rum overnight.
2. When ready to make the torte, place the broken-up chocolate and butter in a large, heatproof bowl, which should be sitting over a saucepan of barely simmering water, making sure the base of the bowl doesn’t touch the water. Keeping the heat at its lowest, allow the chocolate to melt – it should take about 6 minutes to become smooth and glossy.
3. Remove the bowl from the pan, give the chocolate a good stir and let it cool for 2-3 minutes.
4. Fold in the whipped cream, followed by the soaked fruits in rum, the pistachios and chopped biscuits, and give it all a good mix.
5. Spoon the torte mixture into a 20-cm / 8-inches, 4-cm / 1½ inches deep, lightly greased with a flavourless oil loose-based cake tin as evenly as possible, cover with clingfilm.
6. Chill for a minimum of 4 hours.
7. To serve, dust the surface with a little cocoa powder, cut the torte into wedges, then serve with crème fraîche, whipped cream or pouring cream.
**From “The Delia Collection Chocolate” and “Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia”**
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