Tart for tart’s sake

ingredients ready to make chocolate tart with mocha ganache

Regular readers will know that we’re quite partial to a chocolate cake or tart.

Justin demanded asked very nicely if I would make the chocolate mocha ganache tart that appeared before our eyes in Stella magazine recently.

It was quite a lengthy procedure, but I like baking, so it wasn’t too great a hardship.

Also, having just sampled the first slice, I can confirm that it was well worth the effort!

It has an exquisite, subtle coffee flavour and beautiful smooth texture.

We have a couple of friends coming over for a bite to eat later – we may give them a small piece each!

Recipe: Serves 6 generously

For the pastry:

175g (6oz) butter, softened
150g (5½oz) icing sugar
2 eggs
350g (12oz) flour
50g (1¾oz) ground almonds
40g (1½oz) cocoa powder

For the ganache:

125ml (4fl oz) milk
2 tbsp coffee beans, whole
65g (2½oz) sugar
6 egg yolks
2 tbsp instant coffee
275g (9½oz) dark chocolate, 66% cocoa solids, broken into small pieces
225ml (8fl oz) double cream
2½ tbsp cocoa powder

In the bowl of an electric mixer with a paddle (I used the K-beater), combine the butter with the sugar until smooth. Add the eggs one at a time, scraping down the bowl with a spatula. Slowly add the dry ingredients until blended. Wrap in cling film for 3 hours or overnight.

Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/gas mark 4. Lightly flour the work surface and roll the pastry into a circle 3mm (⅛in) thick. Transfer to a loose-bottomed 25cm (10in) tart tin. Line with paper and baking beans. Bake for 12 minutes, then remove the beans and paper and bake for a further 4 minutes. Leave to cool.

In a small saucepan bring the milk and coffee beans to a simmer, remove from the heat, cover and leave to infuse for 20 minutes. In a heatproof bowl, whisk the sugar and egg yolks to combine. Put the instant coffee and chocolate in a separate heatproof bowl. Strain the milk and discard the beans. Return the milk to the pan, add the cream and bring to a simmer. Pour the hot milk on to the egg yolks in a very thin stream, whisking continuously. Return the mixture to the pan and place over a low heat. Cook gently but don’t allow it to simmer, stirring until it is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Immediately pour this into the bowl of chocolate, and stir to melt. In a small pan simmer 100ml (3½fl oz) water with the cocoa powder to dissolve it. Whisk it into the ganache.

Pour the ganache into the tart shell and chill for at least three hours to set. Once cold, slice and serve with ice cream or whipped cream.

Pinny for your thoughts!

There’s a new woman in Justin’s life!

She’s an alpine flower girl – and resides on this fabulous vintage pinny.

She came home with him on Wednesday – and he definitely took longer photographing this apron than he does photographing a cruet set – dreaming of life in the alpine meadows!

We love period kitchen textiles – tea towels, aprons, oven gloves, pan grabs, curtains etc.

Have a look at all the vintage pinnys currently available in the H is for Home shop

What a Tart!

Last week I watched the first episode (which was all about chocolate) of Raymond Blanc’s new series on BBC 2, Kitchen Secrets. The programme reminded me of a chocolate & salted caramel tart recipe that I’d torn out from a recent Telegraph Stella weekend magazine. It turned out so well and tasted so delectable that I thought I’d share it with you!

It’s incredibly rich – you won’t need a big slice – a dollop of crème fraîche makes a perfect accompaniment.

Chocolate & salted caramel tart

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Course Dessert

Servings 8

Ingredients

For the pastry

300 g/10½oz plain flour
3 tbsp cocoa powder
150 g/5½oz butter
3 tbsp caster sugar
1 egg yolk
2 tbsp water

For the caramel

250 g/9 oz golden granulated sugar
6 tbsp water
100 ml/3½ fl oz single cream
125 g/4½oz salted butter melted
½ tsp sea salt flakes plus extra to decorate

For the chocolate filling

125 g/4½oz good quality dark chocolate broken into chunks
85 g/3oz butter
1 egg plus 2 yolks
3 tbsp caster sugar

Instructions

To make the pastry, put the flour, cocoa and butter into a food processor and whiz until the mixture looks like breadcrumbs. Add the sugar and whiz again. Mix the egg yolk with the water and add that. Process again until the mixture comes together in a ball. You may need to add a little more water. Wrap in cling film and leave to rest in the fridge for half an hour. Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface and use to line a deep 24cm (9 in) tart tin with a removable base. Carefully trim the excess from the rim and keep to patch up any holes later on. Put in the fridge or freezer to chill until firm. Preheat the oven to 200ºC/400ºF/gas mark 6.
To make the caramel, put the sugar and water into a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Heat slowly so that the sugar dissolves. Once it has, turn up the heat and boil until the syrup turns to caramel – you will know by the smell and colour. Be careful not to take it too far and burn it. Once it has reached the caramel stage, stir in the cream – stand back as it will hiss and spit – and the butter. Add the salt and stir to help everything to melt and blend. Leave to cool.
Prick the base of the tart case, line with greaseproof paper or foil and fill with baking beans. Bake blind for 12 minutes, then remove the paper and beans and leave to cool a little. Pour in the caramel. Turn down the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/gas mark 4.
To make the filling, melt the chocolate with the butter in a bowl over a pan of simmering water. Remove and leave to cool a little. Whisk the eggs and sugar using an electric beater until the mixture is light and fluffy and has increased in volume. Stir in the chocolate and butter. Pour over the caramel and put in the oven. Bake for 12 minutes. Leave until cool enough to handle, then carefully remove the rim and put the tart on a plate. Decorate with a very light scattering of sea salt flakes and serve.

Keyword chocolate, salted caramel, tart

Berry Delicious!

Our wild berry picking has started early this year. We were out foraging bilberries at the weekend. They love acid soil and are found on low-growing bushes in the surrounding area. The berries are small and picking them is quite time consuming – but, be patient, they’re well worth the effort!

We put some in the freezer for future jam making and used the rest of our crop to make this bilberry custard tart. Here’s the recipe:

Bilberry custard tart

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Course Dessert

Cuisine British

Ingredients

For the shortcrust pastry

125 g/4oz plain flour
pinch of salt
55 g/2oz butter cubed
30-45 ml/2-3 tbsp cold water
(or you can buy a pack of ready-made in the chilled section of most supermarkets)

For the custard

4 eggs
2 egg yolks
475 ml/1pt milk
55 g/2oz caster sugar

Instructions

You’ll need to collect about 225g/8oz bilberries. Remove stalks and stray leaves and rinse in a sieve.
Dry carefully on some kitchen towel (Don’t use a tea towel unless you don’t mind it getting stained purple).

For the shortcrust pastry

Put the flour and salt in a large bowl and add the cubes of butter
Use your fingertips to rub the butter into the flour until you have a mixture that resembles coarse breadcrumbs with no large lumps of butter remaining
Using a knife, stir in just enough of the cold water to bind the dough together
Wrap the pastry in cling film and chill for 10-15 minutes before rolling out
Flour the worktop and roll out the pastry to about 1/2cm thick and 25cm/10inches in diameter (or large enough to fit over the dish you’re using)
Carefully lift the pastry and lay it over your dish, moulding it to the bottom & sides
Cut off any excess bits using a sharp knife
Pour in the washed & dried fresh bilberries

For the custard

Heat the milk gently in a pan
Whisk the eggs & egg yolks
Slowly add the milk to the egg mixture whisking continuously (make sure the milk’s not too hot or the eggs will scramble!)
Pour the mixture carefully through a sieve on to the bilberries in the dish
Preheat the oven to 175ºC/350ºF/Gas Mark 4. Cook the flan for 45 minutes or until the top begins to brown nicely. When cool, sprinkle a tablespoon of caster sugar over the top

Keyword bilberries, custard tart, tart

The tart looks fabulous with the deep purple juice seeping into the creamy custard…

…and it tasted great too!

H is for Home Harbinger

Category: cookery

Tart for tart’s sake

Pinny for your thoughts!

What a Tart!

Chocolate & salted caramel tart

Ingredients

For the pastry

For the caramel

For the chocolate filling

Instructions

Berry Delicious!

Bilberry custard tart

Ingredients

For the shortcrust pastry

For the custard

Instructions

For the shortcrust pastry

For the custard