CHOCOLATE TART

Owner of the coffee shop La Petite Tarte (021 425 9077), Cristiana Bosini draws inspiration for her entertaining menus from the years she spent living in Italy, Greece and France

INGREDIENTS

For the pastry shell:

• 500g cake flour
• pinch salt
• 250g butter, chilled and diced into small cubes
• 50g caster sugar
• zest of 1 lemon, finely grated
• 1 whole egg and 1 egg yolk
• 80ml ice-cold water
• butter, to grease

For the filling:

• 285g good-quality dark chocolate
• 565ml double cream
• 6 egg yolks
• 170g caster sugar

To serve:

• edible gold dust (available at specialised bakery supply stores)
• cream, whipped

METHOD

To make the pastry shell:

1. Sift flour and salt onto a cold surface. Scatter the butter, sugar and lemon zest over the flour then toss ingredients together using a knife. Make a hollow in the centre and add the whole egg, extra egg yolk and water and toss again. Gather the dough and with the heel of your hand work it away from you in a quick movement. Keep bringing the dough back to you and working it until evenly combined. (Don’t worry if little bits of butter are showing through, it’s important not to overwork the dough.)
2. Once the dough has come together, knead it very lightly for a minute. Wrap the pastry in greaseproof paper and chill for 20 minutes (no longer as it will be difficult to roll out).
3. Dust your working surface and rolling pin lightly with flour and then roll the pastry gently into a circular disc, turning from time to time until 5cm thick.
4. Roll the pastry over rolling pin, and unroll over a buttered tart tin, allowing the edges to hang over the side of the tin. Gently press the pastry down and into the sides of the tin. Prick the base all over with a fork and chill for 25– 30 minutes (this will prevent shrinking when cooked).
5. To blind bake the pastry, line with greaseproof paper and fill with baking beans. Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C for 10 minutes, remove the baking beans and paper and allow to cool.

To make the filling and assemble the tart:

1. Preheat the oven to 130°C.
2. Break chocolate into small pieces and melt in a small saucepan over simmering water. Remove from the heat and stir in the cream, a little at a time.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks and caster sugar for 5 minutes until pale and double in volume.
4. Slowly pour the melted chocolate into the egg mixture, stirring gently until mixed.
5. Pour the chocolate mixture into the pastry shell and bake for 40 minutes until lightly set, it should still be slightly wobbly in the centre. When cool, chill in the fridge for 1–2 hours.
6. Sprinkle with edible gold dust and serve with freshly-whipped cream.

This recipe serves 6-8 people