Pierre Herme's Tarte Grenobloise

My friend Dees loves pecans. And he had been bugging me to make pecan pie for a long time.  After a delay of a few months, I finally dusted off my copy of Pierre Herme's Chocolate Desserts and made the fancifully named Tarte Grenobloise. I can't pronounce that either. But all you need to know is that this is a more elegant version of an all-American pecan pie. As a base, there's the beautifully sandy chocolate almond pate sablee, followed by rich dark chocolate ganache, and to finish it off, caramelled pecans. A pure decadent hit that should satisfy any sweet cravings.

If you don't want to rush around the kitchen, you should allow 2 days to make this. With so many components to complete, the entire tart isn't so daunting when you spread it out. Making this is a lesson in patience, but all the time in the kitchen is worth it. There's nothing quite like seeing the chocolate ganache gradually get shiny with the addition of butter, or to stand patiently and see sugar caramelise into an amber liquid. Just one bite of your tart makes it all worth it.