Combine flour, sugar and salt in a small mixing bowl.
Cut butter into the flour mixture using a pastry blender or two knives until it resembles coarse meal.
Combine egg yolks and half-and-half in separate bowl, whisking to incorporate.
Add egg mixture to the flour mixture; stir with a fork until all the dry ingredients are moistened. Shape dough into a ball, flatten slightly, and refrigerate 2 hours to overnight.
Roll out dough to slightly less then ¼ inch thick.
Place pastry over tart pan and gently press pastry down to the bottom and into each groove. To remove excess pastry cleanly, roll a rolling pin over the top and it will cut the dough off neatly.
For the Tart Filling:
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Add syrup, sugars, bourbon, flour and vanilla to a medium bowl. No need to mix. Set aside.
Beat eggs in a large mixing bowl until frothy. Add butter, beating well.
Add the syrup mixture; beat well. Stir in the pecans.
Sprinkle the chocolate chips on their own into the bottom of the pastry.
Pour pecan mixture over chocolate morsels to just under the top of the pastry.
Bake for 1 hour or until set. Cool completely before slicing.
Video
Notes
Presentation - Bonus points for serving this tart with a mound of vanilla bean ice cream or a generous spoonful of vanilla bean anglaise.Flavor Tips - My professional advice overall is that it is all about balance. In this tart recipe, the semi-sweet chocolate balances out the whiskey. Be sure the whiskey you use is one that you actually appreciate…if it’s not good enough to drink don’t put it in your tart!Technique - For the silkiest tart filling, whisk the eggs thoroughly before combining the remaining ingredients. This will keep too many air bubbles from forming, which will create an uneven texture on top and a less smooth filling. To remove excess pastry cleanly when putting your tart in your tart pan, roll a rolling pin over the top and it will cut the dough off neatly.Helpful Tools - I use a pastry blender to make my pie crust, but you could also do this in a food processor or stand mixer if you so choose.Variations - You can easily make this recipe using a traditional pie crust in a pie pan. It will yield one 9-inch pie. For twelve 10 cm tarts, roll out the dough as above but use a 4-inch biscuit cutter to cut the rounds. You may need to reroll the excess. Press into individual tarts as above. The rolling pin will not be needed because the 4-inch circle fits them perfectly. My mini tarts took 30 minutes to bake.Storage - Store baked Bourbon Chocolate Pecan Tart in a covered dish at room temperature or tightly wrapped in the refrigerator or freezer. Baked Bourbon Chocolate Pecan Tart will keep for 3 days at room temperature, 10 days in the refrigerator or up to 3 months tightly wrapped in the freezer.Both recipes are from The Southern Heritage Pies and Pastry Cookbook, 1984.