This vegan chocolate tart ganache recipe really hit the spot the other day. At first I was skeptical that the filling wouldn’t be as tasty with the use of coffee instead of heavy cream to cut the bittersweet chocolate, but it turned out great! I don’t miss the dairy at all. The shortbread crust recipe that accompanies the ganache over on the Notes on Conversation & Consumption blog isn’t vegan, so after a bit of Googling around I was able to use the general basic similarities in ingredients and steps to make my own:

Vegan shortbread crust:

• 1/2 cup margarine
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 3/4 to 1 cup finely food-processed walnuts
• ~1 to 2 cups flour

Preheat oven to 350 F. Cream margarine and sugar in a bowl with mixer whisk attachment or hand-held beaters until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and walnuts and mix a few seconds longer. Mix in flour by hand, 1/3 cup at a time, until dough sticks together and is slightly more moist than Play-Doh. Press into a two-piece tart pan and bake until edges are just barely starting to brown, ~20 minutes. Allow to cool, fill with ganache, and chill for an hour or two.

Tarts make a great portable holiday party treat because of their solid chilled mass and removable pan. They’re also great for entertaining because they can be made far in advance of your guests’ arrival.