In Gratitude (Plus A Chocolate Recipe!)

Dearest Asheville locals and faraway friends alike,

We are feeling sentimental today. 'Tis the season for gratitude and that's what we're all about. (It's literally in our company mission).

French Broad Chocolate Lounge has been serving you for nearly ten years, and we still feel and appreciate all of your grace and support. We appreciate you showing up, treating yourself, and sending love to your friends through chocolate. Thank you for making us an Asheville tradition, somewhere you always bring visiting friends and family.  We’re grateful for the thoughts and feedback you share - when we do something great, but also when we need to step up and do better. Communication from our community helps us grow and improve, and we appreciate the generosity with your limited time.

As a small token of our gratitude, we are sharing this simple recipe that we are making for our family feast, because we all need at least one simple recipe on Thanksgiving! This is inspired by our pastry idol, Alice Medrich, from her amazing book, Bittersweet.

In gratitude,

From our family to yours,
Jael & Dan

Bittersweet Chocolate Tart

Shortbread Crust Ingredients

1 stick unsalted butter, melted

¼ cup sugar

1/8 tsp sea salt

¾ tsp vanilla extract

1 cup all purpose flour

1 egg yolk, reserved

• Preheat oven to 350.
• Melt butter and place in a medium glass bowl.
• Stir in sugar, salt and vanilla.
• Add flour and mix until just blended.
• Press dough into the bottom and side of a 10” tart pan.
• Bake 20-25 min. until golden brown.
• Whisk one egg yolk with a pinch of salt in a small bowl and brush the crust with it.
• Bake 1 minute, then remove crust from the oven.

Make the chocolate filling:

Chocolate filling ingredients:

8 oz. of your favorite dark chocolate, chopped finely (about 1 ½ cups)

1 cup heavy cream

1 egg, lightly beaten

• Bring the cream to a boil in a small saucepan.
• Pour boiling cream over the chopped chocolate in a medium bowl.
• Let sit 1 minute to melt the chocolate.
• Whisk gently (do not incorporate air) until smooth.
• Add the egg and whisk gently to combine.
• Pour mixture into crust and smooth with rubber spatula.
• Bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes or until edges are just set and center jiggles a little when nudged.