I've belonged to a cookbook cooking club for several years now. (Have I ever talked about this here?) It was part of a "small groups" initiative at our temple, where congregants with similar interests formed small groups to do/learn/enjoy something together. There was a kite flying group, a couple of mahjong groups, a bourbon tasting group that's still going strong and even went on a Kentucky trip together to taste bourbon... and our cookbook cooking club. Each month, we pick a cookbook (occasionally a blog or a single chef), and each of us cooks one recipe from it. We bring it to dinner at someone's house, share our dish, and eat a delicious meal together. Lucky for me, it's a group of very good cooks and very nice people! Most of the time, I opt for something savory, and I almost always try to work with a new ingredient or technique. We coordinate enough ahead of time to make sure we don't end up with eleven desserts or seven main dishes, and it's pretty much always balanced out.
One time, I did allow myself to make dessert, and I picked Smitten Kitchen's recipe for a Chocolate Caramel Tart, which actually comes from Claudia Fleming's recipe from North Fork Table & Inn. Oh boy, was it delicious. Rich, but surprisingly not overly sweet, and balanced by flaky Maldon salt sprinkled on the top. She uses a smaller, rectangular tart pan, but the recipe is written for a round pan like the one below.
You start by making a chocolate cookie dough, which is chilled, then blind baked but without need for any pie weights. While that's going, you make a caramel sauce, pour it into the crust and let it set up and cool, and then top with bittersweet chocolate ganache and salt.
It looked beautiful before cutting, but I learned a valuable lesson: this tart cannot sit out (of the fridge) for hours. It cut and served beautifully, but the remains of the tart oozed everywhere!
Here's the recipe: Chocolate Caramel Tart
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