Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, Dutch-process cocoa powder, and kosher salt; set the dry mixture aside.
• In a large bowl, use a handheld mixer to cream the room-temperature butter and the powdered sugar until the mixture is pale and fluffy, about 2–3 minutes.
• Add the 2 room-temperature egg yolks and the vanilla extract to the creamed butter mixture and mix until just combined.
• Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix on low speed (or stir by hand) until a uniform dough forms. Do not overmix.
• Press the dough evenly into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom, making the thickness uniform.
• Refrigerate the tart shell for 30 minutes to firm the dough.
• Remove the tart from the refrigerator. Prick the bottom of the crust a few times with a fork (do not prick the sides). If the edges appear likely to brown too quickly during baking, loosely tent them with foil.
• Bake the tart shell in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, until set. Transfer the tart pan to a wire rack and cool the shell to room temperature.
• The baked chocolate tart shell is ready to fill. Note: the original recipe’s caramel and ganache steps call for additional ingredients not listed here; obtain those ingredients before proceeding with fillings.