What is the greatest gift?
by Mary Oliver
What is the greatest gift?
Could it be the world itself — the oceans, the meadowlark,
the patience of the trees in the wind?
Could it be love, with its sweet clamor of passion?
Something else — something else entirely
holds me in thrall.
That you have a life that I wonder about
more than I wonder about my own.
That you have a life — courteous, intelligent —
that I wonder about more than I wonder about my own.
That you have a soul — your own, no one else’s —
that I wonder about more than I wonder about my own.
So that I find my soul clapping its hands for yours
more than my own.
My children will always be my greatest gifts and forever Valentines. Here is a recipe for the love in your life.
This tart is rich and brings me back to a most wonderful trip to Italy and another reason to indulge in the exotic Fiori di Sicilia flavoring. Chocolate-lemon-espresso seems strange, but strangely it works in a most complimentary way.
Chocolate Espresso Lemon Crusted Tart
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: Serves 8 to 10.
Ingredients
2 cups lemon snap cookie crumbs
6 tablespoons melted butter
¾ cup sugar
¼ cup cornstarch
2 teaspoons instant espresso powder
1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
2 cups milk
4 egg yolks
2 ounces 90% cocoa chocolate squares (I used Lindt)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
¼ teaspoon Fiori di Sicilia
Garnish: fresh whipped cream, chocolate covered coffee beans, lemon zest strips
Instructions
- Heat oven 350F.
- Mix cookie crumbs and melted butter. Press thickly up sides and then onto bottom of a 9 to 10-inch tart pan with removable bottom. Bake 10 minutes. Cool to room temperature and then place in freezer.
- Prepare filling. In medium saucepan, whisk sugar, cornstarch, espresso powder and salt.
- In a bowl, whisk milk and egg yolks until well blended. Pour milk mixture into saucepan whisking well.
- Bring mixture to a boil over medium heat, whisking constantly. Boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat.
- Drop chocolate squares on to surface of hot filling; let stand 30 seconds.
- Add butter and flavoring and whisk until chocolate and butter are melted and mixture is smooth.
- Pour into well-chilled pie shell. Cover surface of pie with plastic wrap to avoid skin formation.
- Chill. Garnish as desired.
- Category: dessert
- Method: stovetop/oven
Keywords: Valentine’s day, espresso, high quality chocolate, tart, special occasion, artisanal, lemon
Happy Valentine’s Day and thank you to Doreen who so kindly found me and shared this most beautiful poem.