24. Chocolate Tart
Christmas is almost here!!!!!
Anyone else excited? I’m so ready for the break from London life and going back home to see my family. Or rather, doing the rounds around all the different friends and family members who want to see me over the holidays, meaning I don’t really spend all that much time at home. Christmas is fun, but it’s definitely not restful!
I’m not a fan of Christmas pudding, or Christmas cake, so Christmas desserts to me have nearly always been chocolate based. A roulade, a black forest gateau, or just some chocolate ice cream, chocolate is a dominant Christmas time treat. That’s why I decided to make this chocolate tart in the lead up to Christmas. Maybe you guys have fussy family members like me who don’t like Christmas pudding? If so, this one’s for you!
Makes 1 tart
Ingredients
For the shortcrust pastry
200g plain flour
125g butter
50g sugar
1 medium egg
2 tsp cinnamon (optional)
Pinch of salt
OR about 400g ready made sweet shortcrust pastry
For the chocolate ganache
300ml double cream
50ml milk
50g butter
200g chocolate (preferably dark)
1 tsp sugar
Pinch of salt
Method
Cream together the butter and sugar for the pastry. Slowly add in the egg a bit at a time, mixing the dough together as you do so it doesn’t split. Add in the flour, cinnamon and salt and mix until the dough all comes together.
Flatten the dough and wrap in clingfilm and chill in the fridge for half an hour.
Preheat the oven to 180C.
Roll out the chilled dough and line your tart tin. Mine is 14” diameter. Make sure that you push the dough into the corners so that it won’t shrink like mine did!
Roll the top off using your rolling pin, then push the dough into the sides to make sure it is all lined evenly. Use the back of a knife to get rid of any excess. Put back in the fridge to rest for 5 minutes.
Pierce the base of your tart several times using a fork, all the way through! This will stop the bottom from rising as it bakes. Line the tart with either greaseproof paper or clingfilm and fill with baking beans, rice or something else suitable to hold up the edges of the tart as it bakes.
Blind bake the tart with the beans in for 10-15 minutes until the edge is golden. Then remove the beans and bake the tart for another 15-20 minutes until the base is golden as well.
Take out of the oven and allow to cool before removing from the tin.
In a pan bring the cream, sugar and salt to the boil and immediately remove from the heat. Add in the butter and then chocolate in chunks and stir until they have completely blended in. Once the mixture has cooled a little, stir in the milk.
Pour the chocolate ganache into the tart once the tart has cooled and leave to set at room temperature. If you put it in the fridge it may seize. (Mine has a slightly paler patch as my jug had some residue milk in the bottom. Oops.)
Enjoy! Decorate with icing sugar or white chocolate.
