Tarte au chocolat

Last week I posted a round up of the dishes I made over the Christmas period (you can check out that post here). This article received quite a bit of attention, mostly because of the delectable dessert featured right at the beginning. Some of you have been asking for the recipe…and your wish is my command. You will find everything you need to know below.

I wish I could say that this was one of my creations, but credit must go to the great Gordon Ramsay for this recipe, which I found in an old copy of a BBC Olive Magazine (the December 2007 edition). I followed it almost exactly, with the exception of the addition of vanilla paste to the pastry base.

Whilst the ingredients used are rather extravagant the tart itself is incredibly easy to prepare. Depending on the depth of your tart dish you may find, as I did, that you have chocolate filling leftover. I used a fairly shallow 25cm dish and once this was full I simply poured the extra filling into two ramekins and baked them separately – they made great little taster pots! Also, don’t be alarmed at how thin the filling seems! Once baked it will set and you will have a beautifully creamy and light filling.

70% dark chocolate + Nutella + double cream = my happy place, I hope you will love it too.

TARTE AU CHOCOLAT

Servings: 12
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For the pastry:

125g butter, room temperature
90g castor sugar
1 tsp vanilla paste
1 large egg, lightly beaten
250g plain flour
icing sugar for rolling
baking beans / rice to blind bake

For the filling:

275g Nutella
125g 70% dark chocolate, broken into pieces
300ml double cream
450ml milk
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
icing sugar for dusting
extra dark chocolate for brushing the base and decorating

1.) Prepare the pastry by creaming the butter and sugar together in an electric mixer. Mix in the vanilla paste. Add the egg followed by the flour and mix until the dough starts coming together. Tip the dough onto a clean work surface, press together into a disc and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

2.) Lightly grease a 25cm tart tin and place on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Dust the work surface with a little icing sugar and roll the dough out into a rough circle. Carefully roll the dough around the rolling pin to help lift it over the tart tin. Gently press the dough into the tin and patch up any cracked areas. Let the excess pastry hang over the edges, we’ll neaten this up later. Line the tart with a piece of baking paper and refrigerate for 20 minutes. Preheat your oven to 200°C.

3.) Prepare the filling by placing the Nutella and dark chocolate in a bowl. Place the double cream and milk in a saucepan and bring to the boil, then remove from the heat and pour into the bowl. Whisk until you have a smooth mixture. Whisk in the eggs. The mixture will be very runny.

4.) Add baking beans to the lined tart dish and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the beans and the baking paper and bake for a further 5-10 minutes, or until the pastry is golden and cooked through. Turn the oven temperature down to 160°C.

5.) Melt some extra dark chocolate and brush over the warm pastry. Pour the filling into the tin and pop it back into the oven for 40 minutes. The filling should be very wobbly when it comes out, but not liquid. Allow to cool completely.

6.) Trim the excess pastry from the tart. Grab your extra block of chocolate and use a potato peeler to scrape out chocolate curls – this will be easier if the chocolate is at room temperature. Pile the curls onto the cooled tart, then finish with a dusting of icing sugar.