Bitter chocolate tart

This is a very grown up chocolate tart for real lovers of good quality chocolate. The taste is very well complemented by a lovely vanilla ice-cream.

Ingredients

for the pastry:

250 g softened, un-salted butter

40 g icing sugar

1 medium egg

500 g plain flour, sifted

for the chocolate filling:

360 ml double cream

140 ml full fat milk

400 g dark chocolate (at least 70% cocoa solids)

3 medium eggs, beaten

Start by creaming the softened butter with the icing sugar in a bowl with a wooden spoon until pale, light and fluffy. Now add the egg. Add the plain flour and mix gently until the pastry comes together. Remove from the bowl, wrap in cling-film and place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

Now lightly butter a 20 cm loose-bottomed tart tin. Roll out the pastry into a circle approximately 3 mm thick and about 5cm wider than the tart tin. Line the tart tin with the pastry, pressing down gently, leaving around 2cm overhanging.

Prick the base with a fork and blind bake in the pre-heated oven for about 20 minutes, or at least until the pastry starts to turn golden. Remove from the oven, allow to cool a little and trim the overhanging pastry with a very sharp knife.

Now turn the oven down to just 130 C. As the oven cools, it is time to make the chocolate filling. Take a saucepan and heat the cream and milk gently until it just reaches that trembling point just under boiling. Remove from the heat.

Add the chocolate pieces to the cream and milk and stir until fully blended. Now add the beaten eggs and once more mix gently until fully blended. Resisting the temptation to lick the spoon, carefully pour the chocolate mix into the tart case and bake in the pre-heated oven for 1 hour. The tart is done when it is still a little wobbly in the middle. Dust with a little icing sugar.

Allow to cool for an hour before serving.

Enjoy a few minutes silence before your guests clamber for more!

Comments

[Natalie]

This looks fantastic... I have some great chocolate on hand, maybe I should make this!!

[Paul]

I think you should Natalie, you wont be disappointed! Let me know how it turns out!