Never Enough Chocolate!

Can you believe it, I finally baked something this week! Thanks to the "June Gloom" that finally arrived, these cool mornings are perfect for entering into my A/C deficient kitchen. That's OK, I found out that my neighbors with A/C must suffer with their outrageously high Edison bills. Well, I deserve to be rewarded for my energy conservation and my sweaty forehead. Bring forth the baked desserts!

This chocolate delight is adapted from the new Pampered Chef booklet, Fall/Winter 2006 Season's Best Recipe Collection. Although there are quite a few steps, it is still fairly simple. Such a decadent sweet, it has a rich chocolate toffee flavor, and will make an excellent treat for the holidays coming up soon. Is there ever enough chocolate? Neh-vah!

CHOCOLATE PECAN LATTICE TART - adapted from Pampered Chef

1/3 cups chopped semi-sweet chocolate
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
3/4 cup finely chopped pecans
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 egg, room temperature
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 package refrigerated pie crusts, not the frozen one in a pie tin
Ice cream, optional
Additional pecan halves and chocolate for garnish, optional


Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a large microwave safe bowl, melt the chocolate on high 20-40 seconds, stir, then nuke again for an additional 20-30 seconds. Stir until smooth. Add the pecans, brown sugar, egg, corn syrup, vanilla, whisk and set aside.

Place one unrolled pie crust in the center of a lightly floured pizza pan or baking stone, set aside. Unroll the second crust onto a cutting board and gently fold in half, do not crease. To make the lattice strips cut into strips about a half-inch wide using a crinkle edged cutter, if available.

Spoon the chocolate mixture onto the center of the crust on the pizza pan, gently spreading it out to a circle, but avoiding the edge. Carefully twist the lattice strips and place over the filling, placing the longest strips in the center. Twist the remaining strips and place across, forming a lattice pattern. Fold the edge of the crust over the strips and pinch to seal. Add pecan halves between the lattice strips, if desired.

Bake for 25-30 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool slightly, then cut into wedges. Serve slightly warm with a scoop of ice cream if desired, Ben & Jerry's Heath Bar Crunch is my personal fave, and drizzle melted chocolate on top.
Serves 12 or more, this is a very rich dessert!