Chocolate Pistachio Fudge Tart with Apricots (Italian)

This decadent tart starts with a crust of pistachios and graham crackers, which gives a great colour, flavour and texture to the dessert. The filling is a simple dark chocolate ganache spiked with a bit of vanilla and salt for extra flavour - it's velvety and delicious. I like to top the tart with chopped dried apricots - I love the combination of chocolate and fruit and I think the apricots add a great brightness. However, you can replace it with raspberries or even leave them out entirely. Top with whipped cream and buon appetito.

Crust:
nonstick cooking spray for pan
1½ cups raw pistachios
3 Tbsp. sugar
½ tsp. kosher salt
6 whole graham crackers
8 Tbsp. (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted

Filling:
12 oz bittersweet chocolate chopped
1½ cups heavy cream
¾ tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/8 tsp. kosher salt
½ cup dried apricots, chopped

To Serve:
lightly whipped cream, optional

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C/160°C fan, Gas Mark 4). Spray a 9" springform pan with nonstick cooking spray.

Place the pistachios, sugar and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse to roughly chop. Add the graham crackers and pulse until finely chopped. Add the melted butter and pulse until the mixture has the consistency of wet sand. Press the mixture evenly over the bottom of the springform pan. Bake until golden brown around the edges, about 12 minutes. Cool to room temperature.

Place the chopped chocolate in a medium bowl. In a small saucepan over medium heat, heat the cream, vanilla and salt until just beginning to simmer around the edges. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate, let sit for 2 minutes, and then whisk until smooth and shiny. Pour the chocolate filling over the crust and sprinkle with the chopped apricots. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or until ready to serve.

Serve with whipped cream if desired.

Makes 8 servings.