This month’s recipe seems very indulgent but is quite simple to make. You can make the pastry the day before. Swap 50g of the Plain Flour for Cocoa Powder in the pastry if you like. And feel free to swirl raspberries or caramel sauce through the chocolate filling mix just before you bake! Delicious!
You will need:
For the tart case
300g Plain Flour
150g Unsalted Butter – cold from the fridge
50g Caster Sugar
1 Egg
50ml Milk
For the Chocolate Filling
300g Chocolate
200g Unsalted Butter
3 Eggs
120g Caster Sugar
Loose Bottomed Tart Case – approx. 10”
Or
Mini Tart Cases
What to do.
To make the Pastry Case
Put the Flour into a large bowl and stir through the Sugar. Add a pinch of Salt (optional).
Chop the Butter into small cubes and add to the bowl. You could grate the butter in. Rub, using just your fingertips, until the mix resembles fine breadcrumbs. If you have a food processor this stage can be done using that.
In a small bowl beat the egg and add the milk. Mix together.
Gradually add the wet mix to the dry mix until it comes together into a dough. You may not need all the liquid. (Or you may need a little extra milk)
Flatten the dough into a 1” thick disc and wrap in clingfilm. Chill in the fridge for at least 20 minutes.
When it has chilled, roll it between two sheets of greaseproof paper, sprinkled with a little flour until it is large enough to cover the bottom and sides of your tart case.
Carefully lift into your tart case and ease into the bottom corners.
You can use a knife to trim the pastry, but it will shrink in the oven so do not cut it too much.
Pop back in the fridge for another 20 minutes.
We’re going to ‘Blind Bake; the pastry before adding the filling. To do this, prick the base of the pastry with a fork in a few places and cover the base with a sheet of greaseproof paper. Cover this sheet with either baking beans, if you have them, or copper coins. This just helps to restrict the pastry from rising while it is baking.
Bake at 180°C for about 10 minutes – until the edges are starting to colour. Remove from oven, take away the beans/coins and paper and return to the oven for a further 20 minutes.
Remove from oven and leave to cool. Now you can tidy up the edges if needed.
For the Chocolate Filling
In a heatproof bowl, chop the chocolate and butter up into small pieces and microwave in 30 second bursts until just melted. When most of the mix is melted you can use the residual heat in the bowl to melt the rest. You do not need this mix to be hot.
In another, larger bowl, whisk the eggs together with the sugar until it is pale, fluffy and has increased noticeably in volume.
Add half the chocolate mix and carefully fold through the egg mix. Once combined, repeat with the remaining chocolate mix. It is important not to knock the air out of the egg mix so fold carefully!
Once all is combined, pour into your prepared tart case. It won’t rise much in the oven so you can fill right to the top of the pastry case.
Bake at 160°C for about 20 minutes. You need the tart to be cooked, but still a bit wobbly as it will continue to cook for a while, then firm up as it cools. Leave to cool on a wire rack.
Once cool, place in the fridge for about 10 minutes to firm up before slicing – it will make it easier!
Serve with Whipped Cream or Fruit.
Enjoy!
By Debbie Dickinson – The Little Lavinia Bakery