A Dessert of Necessity

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Yesterday, we went to a friends' house for dinner, and I was to bring dessert.  Enter the Chocolate Marshmallow Crunch Tart.  I chose this recipe for a variety of reasons:

1. I wanted to use our ice cream maker for the first time, but I didn't have enough time to freeze the bowl thingy before we had to leave the house, let alone make ice cream.
2. I was going to go to the store to see what struck me as a good idea, but just as I was about to leave, I got blocked into the complex by painters.  So I had to make something with whatever I had in the house.
3. I pulled this recipe out of a magazine, and the hubster had been drooling over the picture ever since.  But, since it makes a 9" tart, it's too big to make for just the two of us, so I had to wait to make it for something where other people would be around to eat it. 
4. It was hot yesterday, and I didn't want to use the oven a whole lot.  The only time I had to turn it on was for about 15 minutes to toast the coconut. I was pretty happy with that, and the little time the oven was on managed to make my house smell like coconut, which I enjoyed.

So, here it is:

Chocolate Marshmallow Crunch Tart

Source: Rachel Ray Magazine

Serves: 4

Prep: 20 min (plus chilling)

Cook: 20 min

One 10-ounce bag large marshmallows (about 45)

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

8 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped

2 cups puffed rice cereal

1/3 cup milk

1/4 teaspoon vegetable oil

1 cup sweetened shredded coconut, toasted

1/4 cup chopped pecans, toasted (flour pile note:  i don't like pecans, and i didn't have any, so i used almonds)

1.  Grease a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom.  In a double-boiler over simmering water, melt 17 marshmallows, the butter and 1 ounce chocolate, stirring frequently, until smooth.  Stir in the cereal.  Transfer the mixture to the prepared tart pan and, using a greased rubber spatula or your hands, press into the bottom and up the sides ( flour pile note: if you use your hands, grease them, and be careful! that stuff will be very hot! ). Wipe out the double-boiler insert.

2.  In the double-boiler, melt the remaining marshmallows in the milk over simmering water, stirring frequently, until smooth; let cool. Pour the mixture into the crust; refrigerate 30 minutes.  Wipe out the double-boiler insert.

3.  In the double-boiler, melt the remaining 7 ounces chocolate over simmering water, whisking constantly, until smooth.  Stir in the oil, 3/4 cup toasted coconut and 1/2 cup pecans.  Spoon the mixture onto the tart and spread evenly to cover the marshmallow layer.  Top with the remaining 1/4 cup coconut and 1/4 cup pecans; refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 2 hours.

Okay, now that you have the recipe, I have some things I want to mention about it. First, when it says to let the marshmallow/milk mixture cool, I'm pretty sure they mean it.  I missed that part when I made this, and when I poured the mixture over the crust, it sort of made one thick layer, rather than the two that it should have (you can kind of see this in the picture above).  Also, I feel like the chocolate on top was too thick.  It was like trying to break through a chocolate bar, which I did not enjoy.  In general, this thing is really sweet.  You have been warned.

I'm not entirely sure I will make this again. It was interesting.  I did like the marshmallowy goodness in the middle, but that's really about it.  But, by all means, try it out for yourself, and see what you think.

And, of course, here's the flour pile pic:

It's sort of disappointing.  It's just bits of coconut and almonds.