This past week was a toughie.
Both Dan and Kieran were SUPER sick (Dan had pneumonia!), and tending to them pretty much dominated my whole life. Not that I mind, of course, but nothing got done!
I am behind at work. I am behind on housework. You should see the laundry piles around here. Oy. I made actual food for dinner on Friday for the first time all week and it felt like the greatest accomplishment in the world. I’ve also entered the waddling stage of my pregnancy, which makes me feel sluggish, awkward, and slow. Bending over to pick up something as simple as a dog toy feels like such an effort these days! And don’t even get me started on my readiness (or complete lack thereof) for Christmas next week…
Yeah, this week is shaping up to be another crazy one.
Luckily, I have this AMAZING chocolate pomegranate tart sitting in my freezer right now, and it is everything I want and more in a holiday dessert. It’s festive, gorgeous, and absolutely decadent.
I mentioned this in my last favorites post, but I have been obsessed with these pomegranate chocolates for a few years now. I buy them in the bulk bags and always (ALWAYS) have a bag in the pantry. They are the perfect sweet treat for me because they are intensely chocolatey with the best chew and slight fruity tartness. They are seriously addicting. But they are rich enough that you only need a handful. They conquer my sweet cravings immediately.
I have wanted to model a dessert after these flavors for forever now. And I finally did it. Just in time for the holidays!
This chocolate pomegranate tart is not only a thing of beauty, but it tastes like a dream. It starts with a chocolate cookie crust (I used Oreos!) that couldn’t be easier to make. You break up the cookies in a food processor (you can also crush them in a plastic bag with a rolling pin), mix them with a little melted butter, and press them into your tart pan. It doesn’t have to be perfect! It will firm up just right in the fridge/freezer and be the easiest tart crust you ever made. Plus, it’s CHOCOLATE, which makes it more exciting.
Next comes the filling. OMG, you guys. Pomegranate curd is a THING, and I have never been happier. It is flippin’ DELICIOUS. If you love the tart sweetness of pomegranate, you have to try this curd!
I took a basic lemon curd recipe and swapped in pomegranate juice. I kept a little lemon in the mix because I had a feeling it would enhance the flavors even more, and I’m so glad I did. The curd doesn’t come out tasting like lemon at all, but I think you would miss the punch the lemon adds if you didn’t include it. It really highlights the pomegranate nicely.
I weirdly find making fruit curds therapeutic. That might be the weirdest sentence I have ever typed, hah.
Really though, I like the process of standing over the stove, gently stirring the pot the whole time, and watching magic happen before my eyes. It is not difficult to do at all, as long as you ensure that you don’t ever let the pot get too hot, and the result is SO MUCH BETTER than anything you can buy in a jar at the store. Pinky promise. There is something absolutely heavenly about a spoonful of warm, freshly made fruit curd. If you haven’t tried it at home yet, I encourage you to do so! You won’t be sorry.
Once your curd has thickened up properly, you have the option of adding a dramatic punch of red in the way of food coloring. This is totally optional! But I love the drama it adds. It really lets you know that it is POMEGRANATE curd. I use a more natural food coloring gel that you can find on Amazon or at most kitchen supply stores. It makes me feel a teensy bit better about adding color to our foods.
Then, the curd gets strained and poured into the cookie tart crust. Into the freezer it goes to set for a few hours! It’s ready and waiting for you whenever you need it.
When you are ready to serve, I highly recommend that you serve this with the pomegranate ganache shown in these pictures. Not only does it really drive home the chocolate flavor that my beloved candies have, but it also sweetens up the situation a bit. Plus! Who doesn’t love the look of melty, glossy chocolate drizzled over their food?
It only takes a couple minutes to make, and you CAN make it ahead and reheat it gently in the microwave. I tested this and it worked like a charm. One word of warning, though: this stuff is addicting. It’s rich and creamy and chocolatey (of course), but it also has the subtle tang and fruitiness of pomegranate. Which reminds me of my pomegranate chocolates! Which I am also completely addicted to. Hah.
I love the temperature contrast of the cold tart and the warm ganache, too. It really is a special experience, akin to the effect hot fudge has when served over ice cream.
A sprinkling of pomegranate arils really sends home the message that this is a fancy-ass dessert fit for the holidays. Just look at how gorgeous!
I love having desserts like this ready to go ahead of time, and the fact that it is a freezer tart makes it completely do ahead. Your guests will be SO impressed when you pull this out of the fridge. I promise.
Plus, an added bonus if you’re having a week like me: a sliver of this tart is an amazing way to end long and stressful days. Because chocolate heals all wounds!
Print
Chocolate Pomegranate Tart
- Total Time: 3 hours 20 minutes (mostly inactive chilling time)
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
Ingredients
For the Crust:
- 24 Oreo cookies (I used the Double Stuf)
- Pinch of fine salt
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
For the Pomegranate Curd Filling:
- Zest and juice of 1 lemon
- 1 cup pomegranate juice
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 stick of unsalted butter, diced
- 3 whole eggs
- 2 egg yolks
- Pinch of fine salt
- A few drops of red food coloring (optional)
For the Pomegranate Ganache:
- 1/4 cup pomegranate juice
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- Pinch of fine salt
- 12 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped
- Pomegranate arils, for serving
Instructions
For the Crust:
- Pulse the cookies and salt in a food processor until fine crumbs form. With the machine running, stream in the melted butter. The mixture should be slightly moist and crumbly.
- Press the mixture into a buttered, 9-inch tart pan, evenly pressing it into the corners and up the sides. Chill the crust in the fridge for at least 45 minutes before filling.
For the Pomegranate Curd Filling:
- Put the pomegranate juice, lemon juice, and zest in a pot over medium heat. Add the sugar and stir until it dissolves.
- Reduce the heat to low, making sure the mixture is below a simmer, and whisk in the butter, eggs, egg yolks, and salt.
- Stir almost constantly, keeping the mixture below a simmer, until it thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon or spatula, about 8 minutes. If you want a dramatically red filling, add in a couple drops of red food coloring. This is a completely optional addition.
- Strain the curd through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl. Stir to slightly cool down the mixture.
- Pour the warm pomegranate curd into the prepared crust and allow to cool to room temperature.
- Transfer the filled tart to the freezer and chill for at least 2 hours before serving.
For the Pomegranate Ganache:
- In a small saucepan, whisk together the pomegranate juice, heavy cream, and salt. Place over medium-low heat and, stirring almost constantly, bring the mixture to a simmer. As soon as it starts to bubble, remove from the heat.
- Place the chocolate in a heat-safe bowl and pour the hot cream mixture over top. Allow it to sit for a minute and then gently whisk until a smooth, pourable, deeply chocolate sauce forms.
To Serve:
- Serve the frozen tart drizzled with the warm ganache and garnished with pomegranate arils.
Notes
The ganache recipe will make enough to have extra. Extra ganache will keep for several weeks in the fridge in a well-sealed container or jar. It’s delicious drizzled over ice cream!
- Prep Time: 3 hours (mostly inactive chilling time)
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
Hi There. I'm Molly. I'm a food-obsessed, self-taught cook and I can't wait to share my passion for all things culinary with you. My love for egg yolks is just the tip of the iceberg!
This looks amazing! Does it have to be freezed? Will a longer chill in the fridge be enough for it to set without having to freeze it?
Thank u!
Hi Ann! I’m actually not sure because I only tested this as a frozen tart. You could certainly try letting it set up in the fridge, but it may still be too runny/loose. If you try it, let me know how it works!
I’ve made this a couple of times and I never froze it. It sets up fine in the fridge. Probably a different experience but still delicious!
Hi there. Just wondering if you leave the cream stuff inside the Oreo or scrape it off?
Leave it in!
Will surely going to make this recipe…..can u tell for egg substitute? I wants to make it eggless😊
Hi Bhumi, unfortunately I can’t offer an eggless suggestion – only because I haven’t tested it and would hate to tell you to use something I’m not 100% sure would work. So sorry! If you try something and have success, I’d love to hear about it! 🙂
I’m making it but my filling will not thicken! What do I do 🙁
Horrible recipe, I recommend you add videos
Had to use so many supplementary videos and google searches on how to make curd. Had zero luck thickening, I’ve followed all the directions, I’ve been standing over the stove for over an hour, used 7 eggs. What a waste is all I have to say, my advice is watch a better source on YouTube
Also the filling didn’t even taken up half of my 9” pan. Very disappointed in this recipe
Hi McKenna, I am very sorry to hear that this didn’t work for you! I hate if people have problems with my recipes, especially since the recipe worked for me on multiple occasions. Do you mean that your filling wouldn’t thicken as you cooked it or once you froze the tart? Also, as written, the curd portion of this recipe makes a lot, definitely enough to fill a 9-inch tart pan. As with any curd, it takes time for it to thicken in the pot, at least 7-8 minutes. Please let me know if you have any more insight on your issues – I really would like to help figure out why this didn’t work for you! Again, so sorry to hear you didn’t have success. 🙁
I had so much trouble thickening it too!
Does this have to be served straight out of the freezer? Can it sit out for a couple hours at a party without totally falling apart? When being served straight out of the freezer, does it have the soft, smooth bite of a traditional curd tart or does it bite more like a hard frozen ice cream/popsicle?
Hi Andrew. The tart does need to be served frozen, straight from the freezer. I don’t think it will hold up well sitting out for an extended period of time. The texture is a cross between what you describe – it definitely has a frozen/ice cream like texture but is also smooth and creamy. It’s not going to be like a lemon meringue pie texture – not soft like that. Hope this helps!
So, this recipe is good but calls for way too much ganache. You could easily do a quarter of the ganache amount and have plenty. Also, the Oreo crust makes it very sweet- I suggest using a more traditional tart crust.
Second time trying this recipe, loved the taste and look the first time so I decided to make it again…however this time even on low heat, the egg whites cooked in the filling as I stirred ☹️ Had to strain them all out. Wondering how this will affect the filling.
Hi. Just wondering. Is this like pom wonderful juice or did you squeeze a bunch of pomegranates?
Definitely use the bottled juice!
Hi! If we have pomegranates and lemons on hand, can we use the squeezed juice rather than juice bought in a grocery store? Thanks!
Absolutely!
Do you think this would also work as lil baby tart bites made in like a muffin tin? I’d love to make them for a party this weekend! Thanks in advance!
Hey, I’m Ela 🙂 Your pictures look so beautiful I just had to try and make this, and I have to say I loved it. I baked my own chocolate crust for the tart and added some starch to the cream so I don’t have to freeze it, and it was a thing to behold. I’m definitely adding it to my cookbook!
p.s. the pomegranate ganache is a revelation *__*
SO happy to hear this! Thank you for leaving feedback 🙂