Ganache - The Latest After Dinner Nosh

As untrue to nature as it may seem, here we have a chocolate dessert that doubles as an after dinner digestif. You will love this tart for its emphasis on the natural cocoa flavors, rather than on sugar. And if you don't believe me yet, allow me, and my lack of a sweet tooth, to explain: A rich and shiny chocolate ganache filling, laced with a surprising kick of black pepper, is nestled atop a crunchy crust of gingersnap cookie crumbs. And then to cap off each wedge, a hit of spicy candied ginger. An elegant finale for a fall dinner party, this slightly savory sweet meshes seamlessly with the courses which precede it.

It seemed like just the thing to prepare for a birthday dinner at Rose Water in Park Slope. I wanted to incorporate an earthy ingredient into the dessert which I'd bring to the restaurant and which they'd slice and plate, with much care I must add, for a $2.50/person surcharge. Rose Water touts itself as a seasonally-dedicated restaurant, and its straightforward, intelligent menu items are delightful and truly satisfying.

To begin, we shared mussels with butter sausage, curly kale and a rouille toast. A bowl of steamed surf and turf is something I can never resist. Light and rich at the same time, I love this dish. Next, I sprang for the grilled polenta with ratatouille, curly kale and parmesan. Maybe the antithesis of a vegetarian, it's unusal for me to select a vegetarian entrée. But this one spoke to me, or maybe it is my enduring infatuation with Rémy the rat from the film Ratatouille, which called out tableside. Both my appetizer and main made use of curly kale. I would never need to take vitamins again, the way Rose Water prepares curly kale. With just enough seasoning to bring out kale's attributes, while not overshadowing the humble vegetable-ness of this legume, it is another case of light, but rich - a balance which guides chef Bret Macris through each course.

And the polenta was perfect. A crispy exterior brought out the flavor of charred corn alongside a smooth and creamy interior. Paired with carefully sautéed vegetables and nutty shards of parmesan, the freshness of these simple ingredients sang through.

I'll have to return to Rose Water to try their peach fritters with raspberry compote and honey ice cream, but for the time being, we all enjoyed the rich, but not cloying, natural flavors in this chocolate ganache tart.

Based on a recipe from December 2007, Bon Appétit

Serves 8

For the crust:

40 gingersnap cookies (I used Trader Joes' triple gingersnap cookies)

6 tablespoons butter, melted

For the ganache filling:

14 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped using a cerrated knife

1 cup heavy cream, at room temperature

2 large egg yolks

1 large egg

1/4 cup granulated sugar

3 tablespoons honey

1 tablespoon flour

1 or 2 cracks of black pepper

coarsely chopped crystallized ginger (I used Trader Joes' brand)

-Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

-Spray a 9-inch diameter tart pan with baking spray.

-Place gingersnaps into a food processor, and pulse until finely ground. Add in melted butter for one or two more whirls. Dump contents into tart pan and press firmly into the pan and up the sides. You shouldn't reach the edge of the sides - moreso, about halfway up the edges. Set aside.

-Place chocolate and heavy cream in a small saucepan. Whisk gently, on low heat, until fully homogenous and combined. The chocolate should look very silky. Take off the heat and allow to come to room temerature.

-In a medium-sized bowl, whisk eggs and yolk with flour, pepper, and honey. Gently whisk in cooled chocolate until fully combined.

-Pour in chocolate atop cookie crumb crust and smooth out with a small spatula or butter knife.-Place into oven and let cook for 35 minutes. The chocolate will be set and look like a brownie crust.-Once the tart is out of the oven, sprinkle decoratively with chopped ginger. The heat will adhere the ginger to the tart.

-This can be left refrigerated, once cooled, for 2 days. Slice into wedges, cooled or at room temperature.