Gluten-Free Cannabis Chocolate & Cherry Tart

Ingredients:

For the Crust:

1 1⁄3 cups buckwheat flour

1⁄4 cup cornstarch

1⁄2 cup Dutch process cocoa powder

Scant 1⁄2 cup sugar

1⁄2 teaspoon kosher or fine sea salt

1⁄2 cup cold unsalted butter*, cut in cubes [or use a non-dairy butter alternative, for Vegan/DF]

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

4–6 tablespoons cold water or juice, such as cherry or pomegranate

For the Filling:

12 oz high-quality dark chocolate, chopped

11⁄4 cups heavy whipping cream* [or coconut cream* for Vegan/DF]

1⁄2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For the Cherry Glaze:

2 cups cherry juice

1⁄4 cup sugar

For the Whip:

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1⁄4 cup mascarpone cheese

[Dairy-Free: Whip up coconut cream instead, or buy a non-dairy whipped cream product]

For the Garnish:

Fresh pitted cherries, mixed berries, and pomegranate seeds

Method:

• For the crust: Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a food processor, combine the flour, cornstarch, cocoa powder, sugar, and salt and pulse a few times to thoroughly combine. Scatter the butter pieces over the flour mixture and pulse until the mixture is the texture of coarse sand. Add the vanilla and 4 tablespoons of the water or juice and pulse just until the dough starts to come together. Pinch a little of the dough between your fingers; if it doesn’t hold together, gradually pulse in 1–2 tablespoons more water, just until it comes together.
• Line up six 4-inch tart pans with removable bottoms on a sheet tray and divide the dough between them, about 1⁄2 cup dough per tart. (You can also use one larger (9.5 inch) tart pan instead if you prefer.) Press the dough mixture onto the bottom and up the sides of each pan. Prick the bottom all over with a fork, then place sheet pan in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
• After the 30 minute chill time place the pan with all the tarts directly in to the preheated oven. Bake until crust is slightly puffed and darkened, 16-18 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool completely on a wire rack.
• For the filling: Put the chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl. In a small saucepan over medium heat, bring the cream just to a boil. Immediately pour the cream over the chocolate and let stand for 2 minutes.
• Add the vanilla and whisk until the mixture is well blended and smooth. Divide the filling between the cooled crusts, cover loosely with a sheet of parchment paper, and chill for at least 3 hours or up to overnight.
• For the cherry glaze: In a small saucepan over high heat, combine the cherry juice and sugar and bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring often, until the mixture has reduced by half and is syrupy enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 20-25 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool completely. Store in an airtight jar in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve the tart.
• For the whip: In a chilled bowl, using a handheld mixer, beat the cream on medium-high speed until soft peaks form. Add the mascarpone and continue to beat on medium-high until combined and the soft peaks hold.
• Remove the pan sides and serve half or whole tarts on individual serving plates, or cut each in 4 wedges and arrange on a serving platter. Either garnish each serving with a drizzle of the cherry syrup, a dollop of whipped cream and a few of the cut berries, or serve all toppings on the side.
• *There are many options to infuse this recipe with cannabis. Either replace 2 or more tablespoons of the butter in the crust with cannabutter, replace 2 tablespoons of the cream in the filling and/or whip topping with infused cream, or all (or none!) of the above, depending on desired dosage. If your butter or cream has a 5-10mg THC/teaspoon strength, you can use 2 tablespoons of either at any step to give you twelve ½ teaspoon 2.5-5mg THC servings, which will give you 5-10mg per 4-inch chocolate tart. Count your total milligrams of added THC and divide by the amount of servings desired to get an estimate of dosage, and adjust accordingly.