Maria MarloweIf you’re looking for a quick and easy treat to make for your sweetheart on Valentine’s Day, this chocolate fig ganache tart is perfectly decadent and satisfying. The creamy chocolate will melt in your mouth and make you want to savor every spoonful.
The crust is made from almonds and figs, which are considered aphrodisiacs (like chocolate). Although their ability to spark passion and arousal is debatable, they do have some interesting benefits and history linked to them.
Benefits of Chocolate Fig Ganache Tart
Chocolate: Chocolate is inextricably linked with Valentine’s Day, and for good reason. The chemicals in cacao help boost serotonin, the hormone that makes you happy, as well as phenylethylamine, the same chemical that’s released when you fall in love. While researchers think you’d have to eat copious amounts to get any sort of physiological aphrodisiac effect, it could be that love and chocolate are so intertwined in our minds that it’s more the psychological association that turns us on.
Figs: Lusciously sweet and juicy, figs get their aphrodisiac status for resembling the female reproductive organ. And since Cleopatra, one of the most well-known seductresses, enjoyed fig desserts, perhaps there is some truth to it? Besides, a fig tart is delicious!
Almonds: Almonds are high in vitamin E, which helps your body produce hormones like testosterone, estrogen, and progesterone, keeping your sexual interest and stamina up. They have been revered as a symbol of fertility throughout the ages. Some people even believe that their sweet smell arouses passion in women.
Here’s the recipe that just may make your valentine (or you) fall head over heels!
Chocolate Fig Ganache Tart
(serves 4, yields 2 tarts)
Time: 20 min
Ingredients:
CRUST
3/4 cups almonds
7 dried figs, hard stem on top removed (can substitute dates)
pinch salt
GANACHE
1 1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted into a liquid
TOPPING
1-2 figs
Instructions:
- For the crust, whiz almonds in a bullet blender for 30-60 seconds until a fine flour forms. Add figs, and process again until thoroughly combined. The mixture should stick together when pinched between two fingers. Press the dough into two 4-inch tart pans, making a thin layer on the bottom and sides of the pan to form the crust.
- Next, make the ganache filling. Place cocoa powder, maple syrup, and liquid coconut oil into a blender. Then blend on high until smooth, about 60 seconds. Pour into tarts.
- To make a fig heart for the top, carefully slice fig into thin slices. Use your fingers to push it into a heart shape, filling it with extra seeds or the jelly-like interior from another slice if needed.
- Refrigerate for at least 3 hours to firm the ganache before serving. Can easily be made ahead, lasts for up to 1 week.
Get the printable recipe here.
About the Author: Maria Marlowe is an Integrative Nutrition Health Coach who has helped thousands of people improve their health by optimizing their diet. She has created meal plans and programs to help you lose weight, clear up acne, and spend less time in the kitchen yet still eat healthy.
She has been featured in Vogue, The New York Times, NBC, Well + Good, and more. Her first book, The Real Food Grocery Guide, will teach you how to eat healthy without going broke.
Check out her site, www.mariamarlowe.com, or follow her on Instagram @MariaMarlowe and Facebook for more healthy recipes.