mexican chocolate tart with cinnamon toast crunch crust, pie #50 of 52

pie # 50...have to let that sink in for a minute.  i realize that it is a little late in being posted but that couldn't be avoided-i lost 3 weeks when the house was robbed and i am still trying to get back to normal, don't know if i ever will.  last two pies will be part of our trashcan thanksgiving extravaganza so look for them this week.

anyway, since the kids are both out of the house for the foreseeable future, my husband and i have been able to find the bottom shelf of the pantry closet as well as see to the back of it.  amazing what has been lurking in there.  i found two boxes of ibarra chocolate and the unopened box of cinnamon toast crunch cereal that i purchased for a visiting 6 year old-had no idea that a 6 year old wouldn't like cereal that was sweet.  no matter, it makes a fantastic crust for a no bake tart.

the chocolate is flavored with cinnamon and almonds and is rather grainy in appearance due to the sugar crystals.  ibarra is meant to be used for hot chocolate style drinks but it has long been a favorite of ours for cooking and baking.  my husband will drop a puck into a pot of chili and i have favored it blended with bittersweet chocolate to dip biscotti in, specifically my blue corn pecan biscotti.  

to make the crust, i crushed the cereal after i measured it.  don't turn it into a powder but rather a collection of crumbs that are not completely uniform in size.  to punch up the almond flavor, i toasted some almonds in a skillet on the stove so the tart was truly a no-bake tart!

mexican chocolate cinnamon crunch tart 

1(9") tart serving 8-10

crust

1/2 cup sliced almonds

4 cups cinnamon toast crunch cereal

1/4 cup sugar

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and hot

toast the almonds in a skillet over medium heat until they are golden brown-be sure to watch them constantly as they will color quickly.  remove from the heat and turn them out onto a plate to cool.  using your hands, crush the cereal in a bowl until it is mostly small crumbs with some powder and very few large pieces.  roughly chop the almonds so that they are roughly the same size as the cereal crumbs.  add the almonds, sugar and hot butter and mix to combine.   dump the mixture into a tart pan with a removable bottom and press it evenly up the sides and across the bottom.  set aside.

chocolate filling

9 ounces ibarra chocolate-i used 3 pucks

3 ounces bittersweet chocolate

2/3 cup half and half

place the ingredients in a microwavable bowl and using the lowest setting, heat it in 30 second intervals taking the time to stir the mixture after each heat cycle.  when the chocolate has all melted and is smooth, pour it into the prepared crust and make the white chocolate swirl.

white chocolate swirl

1 1/2 ounce white chocolate

1 tablespoon half and half

mix the ingredients in a microwavable bowl and heat it on the lowest setting until it is melted, about 30 seconds.  stir until smooth and then using a small spoon, drizzle all over the top of the tart.  take a tooth pick and swirl the white chocolate into the tart so that it is marbleized.  carefully place the tart in the fridge to cool and set for at least 2 hours.  to serve, remove the ring and carefully insert a thin palette knife between the crust and the metal bottom.  move the palette knife around to completely release the crust and then slide it onto a flat serving platter.  to cut, use a hot, wet knife taking care to completely clean the blade between slices for perfect cuts.

and as always, make it and send me a photo, i will post it here.  bakinbabe116@aol.com