Chocolate Raspberry Tart w/ a Graham Cracker Crust

About three months before we moved from Wyoming to New Jersey, I bought tart pans...even though I had put a ban on buying new things right before the move.  They were like two dollars, and I convinced myself that I'd use them all the time.  About a year later, I've never used the tart pans...ever. 

So, when the Dessert swap, hosted by Sarah at A Taste of Home Cooking, produced a dessert that required a tart pan, I smugly said that I knew I'd need the tart pan eventually and that is why I bought it.  :)

Chocolate Raspberry Tart with a Graham Cracker Crust
from Life and Kitchen
Ingredients
Baking spray for the dish
1-1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/3 cup melted unsalted butter
3-1/2 cups fresh raspberries
8 oz. semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1-1/4 cups heavy cream
Small pinch salt

Directions
1) Heat the oven to 325°F. Spray the sides and bottom of a 9-1/2-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom.
2) Put the graham crackers and melted butter into a food processor and pulse until crumbly.
3) Pour the cracker mixture into the tart pan and press the mixture into the sides and bottom of the pan with the bottom of a measuring cup or a jar.
4) Set the pan on a baking sheet and refrigerate for 20 minutes to firm, then bake the tart crust about 15 minutes, checking and rotating if needed to make the sure the crust doesn’t get too dark. Set on a rack to cool.
5) Meanwhile, push 1 cup of the berries through a fine sieve, mashing with a spoon, into a bowl so the puree drips through; set it aside and discard the seeds.
6) Heat the cream over medium heat until scalding, but not quite boiling. Pour the hot cream over the chopped chocolate; whisk to blend until the chocolate is melted. Stir in the raspberry purée and the salt.
7) Pour the mixture into the cooled tart shell. Refrigerate until the ganache is fairly firm, about 1 hour.
8) Arrange the remaining raspberries on top of the ganache; they should completely cover the surface. These berries won’t sink into the chocolate filling. The ganache is chilled slightly before the raspberries go on.
9) Chill until the ganache is completely firm, about 30 minutes, and serve.

The hardest part of this dessert is waiting for everything to chill so you can dig in.  One of my favorite combinations is chocolate and raspberries, so I loved these.  Plus the addition of fresh raspberries on top strengthens the raspberry flavors.  I feel like this dessert is calling me to get a bigger tart pan...but I'm pretty sure the two small ones will suffice.  A girl can never have too many kitchen gadgets, right? ;)

Check out all the other desserts that were made for the swap!