Living in the Colorado high country is pure joy. Baking in it isn’t. High altitude makes cookies spread in the pan, cakes fall, and few baked goods turn out as they do at sea level. This twice-monthly column presents recipes and tips to make baking in the mountains successful. 

Chocolate and hazelnuts, two of my favorite things, pair beautifully in this tart. Crunchy nuts and rich chocolate, embraced in a caramel-like filling with hints of bourbon, are cradled in a tender, buttery crust — it’s a winner that’s perfect for the holidays. And, if you’re not a fan of hazelnuts, it’s just as good made with coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans instead. 

Have you tried dark maple syrup? It has a more robust flavor than the one labelled amber that we pour on pancakes. I use it in the filling for this tart and it helps the flavor shine. Look for it at Whole Foods, Natural Grocers or online. If you want to prepare your tart shell from scratch and need a recipe for one, email me and I’ll send you mine.

Chocolate-bourbon hazelnut tart

Make in a shiny metal 9-inch tart pan with 1-inch sides and a removable bottom. 

• Your favorite tart shell, commercial or homemade
• 1 egg white, frothed, optional 

Filling

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup dark maple syrup
• 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 1/8 teaspoon table salt
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract or paste
• 2 tablespoons bourbon
• 2 large eggs
• 3/4 cup shelled and skinned hazelnuts
• 3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 2 ounces, dark chocolate melted

Finely chopped hazelnuts, optional

Whole hazelnuts, optional 

Prebake the shell: Prepare your tart shell. Don’t prick the bottom of the unbaked shell, as is often suggested. The sticky filling could seep through the holes and glue the bottom of the shell to the pan, making it difficult to remove the baked tart. Instead, if you see the bottom or sides of the shell puffing up while baking, gently push the raised area down with the back of a spoon or silicone spatula. Prebake the shell, and (optional) as soon as you take it out of the oven, brush the interior with a frothed egg white (you may not use it all). The heat of the baked shell will cook the egg into a smooth, dry shield that keeps the filling from penetrating the bottom of the tart shell and make it stick to the pan while baking. Cool the shell completely. You can cover it and store it at room temperature for a day before continuing with the recipe. 

Make the filling: Place a shiny metal cookie sheet on the central oven rack and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cut the butter into six pieces, add them and the maple syrup to a  microwave-safe mixing bowl or 4-cup measure with a spout and heat in a microwave oven at a low-medium temperature until the butter melts and the mixture is hot. Remove it from the oven, add the brown sugar and whisk until the sugar dissolves and the ingredients are blended. Stir in the flour, salt, vanilla, and bourbon. Let the mixture sit until it’s cool enough that the eggs won’t cook when added. In a small bowl or 2-cup measure, blend the two eggs and gently whisk them into the filling (don’t create air bubbles) until it’s smooth and viscous. Set this aside. 

Assemble the tart: Sprinkle the hazelnuts and chocolate chips over the bottom of the prebaked and cooled tart shell, distributing them evenly. Gently pour the filling over them, submerging the nuts and chocolate. Leave at least one-quarter-inch of the crust uncovered, even if you have filling left over.

Bake the tart: Place the tart on the warm cookie sheet in the oven and bake until the sides of the filling are set but the center still jiggles when you lightly shake the pan but is no longer sticky, 35-45 minutes, but check earlier. Don’t overbake or the filling will get hard and difficult to cut. If needed, cover the edges of the tart shell with strips of aluminum foil to prevent them from over-browning.

Cool, decorate (optional), and chill the tart: Remove the baked tart to a rack. Cool it completely and, if desired, drizzle lines of dark chocolate across the top, rim it with a circle of chopped nuts and place whole nuts in the center. Refrigerate it in the pan, covered, for at least three hours or overnight. 

Slice and serve: Remove the tart from the refrigerator and from the pan. It cuts most easily when cold but best served warm or at room temperature. Cut it with a sharp, thin-bladed knife, cleaning it often. Serve it at room temperature or warm. Heat slices in a microwave or a 325-degree oven. Take care, you want the chocolate to soften but not melt. Whipped cream or vanilla ice cream are popular accompaniments.

Vera Dawson’s column “High Country Baking” publishes biweekly in the Summit Daily News. Dawson is a high-elevation baking instructor and author of three high-altitude cookbooks. Her recipes have been tested in her kitchen in Frisco, where she’s lived since 1991, and altered until they work at elevation. Contact her at veradawson1@gmail.com.