Nothing marks a special occasion quite like chocolate! It’s a time to relax, kick back and indulge our taste buds. This chocolate tart is a regular at our family get togethers and for good reason. I like to serve this with a fruit coulis to cut through the richness but feel free to serve with pouring cream or ice cream if you prefer.
The secret to good pastry is a lightness of touch and coolness – cold butter, chilled water and cold hands! I tend to use a food processor to avoid overworking the pastry but if you are making it by hand, hold your hands under cold running water before you begin and work quickly.
For the pastry:
200g plain flour
A pinch of salt
25g of caster sugar
100g of cold butter
1 egg yolk
For the filling:
350ml of single cream
275g of dark chocolate (60-70% cocoa solids)
1 egg and 1 egg yolk
In a food processor pulse the flour, salt, sugar and butter until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add the egg yolk and one tablespoon of chilled water. Pulse again until the mixture starts to come together. Tip the mix onto a work surface and bring the pastry together into a ball, do not knead the pastry. Wrap the pastry in cling film and leave to rest in the fridge for one hour.
Preheat the oven to 190ºc. Roll out the pastry and use to line a 25cm deep flan tin. Bake blind (cut a circle of parchment paper, place over the pastry and pour baking beans or dried peas) for twenty-five minutes. Remove the paper and beans and return to the oven for a further five minutes.
To make the filling: Reduce the oven to 140ºc. Heat the cream to just below boiling point. Place the chocolate in a large bowl, pour in the heated cream and stir until the chocolate has melted. In a separate bowl, lightly beat the egg and yolk and whisk into the chocolate mix. Pour into the cooled pastry case and bake for thirty minutes. The filling will have a slight wobble but will set on cooling.
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