Chocolate Ganache Tart with Ritz Crust

 

I’m a sucker for sweet-and-savory combos. Like, you know, a chocolate tart with a potato chip crust or a pretzel crust. So it should be no surprise to anyone that I was drawn to this chocolate ganache tart with a Ritz cracker crust! To quote Matthew Amster-Burton and Molly Wizenberg, hosts of Spilled Milk, Ritz crackers are truly a perfectly engineered food product. 

The resulting crust was very fragile and had a tendency to crumble, but it was delicious. As for the filling, it wasn’t overly sweet. The tart felt balanced, yet very decadent – pretty much perfect! 

60 round buttery crackers, such as Ritz (i.e., 2 sleeves, minus 2 crackers each if you’re really counting) 

¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) lactose-free butter, divided 

1 Tbsp. confectioners’ sugar 

6 oz. (1 cup) bittersweet chocolate chips (I used Ghiradelli) 

1 cup lactose-free whipping cream (vegan or not) 

1 tsp. vanilla extract 

1/8 tsp. kosher salt 

Preheat oven to 350 °F. Place crackers in a large zip-top bag; seal well. Using a rolling pin or wine bottle, crush crackers into fine crumbs. (Alternatively, pulse in a food processor.) Melt 1 stick butter in a small saucepan over medium-low, stirring occasionally. 

Transfer cracker crumbs to a large bowl. Stir in sugar. Stir in melted butter until mixture is well combined and the consistency of wet sand. Transfer to a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom or a 9-inch pie plate. Press crust into an even layer on bottom and up sides of pan. Bake until lightly golden, about 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool completely, about 45 minutes. 

Meanwhile, make the ganache: Place 2 inches of water in a medium pot over medium; bring to a simmer. Fit a small saucepan (or heatproof bowl) over simmering water, making sure water doesn't touch saucepan. Combine chocolate chips and cream in saucepan. Cook, stirring constantly, until chocolate is completely melted and mixture is glossy, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove saucepan from water; stir in remaining ½ stick butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, until fully incorporated. Stir in vanilla and kosher salt. Let cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes. 

Pour cooled ganache into cooled crust. Refrigerate, uncovered, for at least 2 hours and up to 6 hours, covering after 2 hours. Before serving, sprinkle with flaky sea salt, if desired.