Chocolate Walnut Tart

Ingredients:

• 2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup cold unsalted butter or butter,
  
• cut into small pieces
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 6 to 8 tablespoons ice water
• 4 eggs
• 1-1/4 cups sugar
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter or butter,
  
• melted
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1-3/4 cups coarsely chopped toasted walnuts
• 1-1/2 cups semisweet chocolate pieces
• Vanilla ice cream

Directions:

1. For the crust: Place steel blade in food processor
bowl. Add the 2-1/4 cups flour, the 3/4 cup butter
and salt. Cover; process with on/off turns until most
of mixture resembles cornmeal, but with a few larger
pieces. With processor running, quickly add 6 table-
spoons water through the feed tube. Stop processor
when all the water is added scrape down sides. Process
with 2 on/off turns (mixture may not all be moistened
and will resemble coarse crumbs). Remove the dough
from the food processor bowl; shape into a ball kneading
with hands as necessary. (Or, in a medium bowl combine
flour and salt; cut in 3/4 cup butter using a pastry blender.

Make a well in center; add 6 to 8 tablespoons ice water,
one tablespoon at a time. Toss mixture with a fork to
moisten after each addition.)

2. Use your hands to flatten the dough into a disk. Cover
the disk with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour or
until the dough is easy to handle; unwrap.

3. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough from center
to edges to form a circle 15 inches in diameter. Fold the
pastry in quarters and transfer the pastry to a 10-inch
springform pan or 10-inch round cake pan. Unfold the
pastry into the pan, being careful not to stretch the pastry.
Gently press the pastry onto side of pan two inches up the
sides of the springform pan or trim the edges flush with
the top of the cake pan.

4. Generously prick bottom and sides of pastry in pan
with a fork. Line pastry with a double thickness of regular
foil or one layer of heavy-duty foil. Bake in a 450 degree F
oven for 8 minutes. Remove foil. Bake for 4 to 5 minutes
more or till set and dry. Set aside. Reduce oven temperature
to 350 degree F.

5. For filling: In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs with an
electric mixer on high speed about 5 minutes or until thick
and light colored. Gradually add the sugar; mix well until
mixture is light and fluffy. Add the 3 tablespoons melted
butter and vanilla; mix well. Add the flour; mix just until
combined, scraping the sides of the mixing bowl. Stir in
walnuts and chocolate pieces.

6. Pour the filling into the partially baked pastry shell.
Bake in a 350� degree F oven for 45 minutes until golden
brown. Cool 1-1/2 hours on a wire rack. Remove sides of
springform pan, or turn the tart in cake pan out onto rack,
then invert onto cake plate. Serve with ice cream. Top of
cake will crack when cut. Makes 12 to 16 servings.