Easy Chocolate Tart

This is a recipe I got from an old recipe book, and it is just divine. I have also made it by adding some chopped roasted hazelnuts to the mix. Yum yum.

I have served this at many a dinner party and each time it has been raved about and I have passed this recipe out to more people than any other.

Ingredients: -
For the pastry
250g/9oz plain flour, plus extra for dusting
pinch salt
100g/3½oz cold butter
1  egg
1  yolk
50g/2oz caster sugar


For the filling
400ml/14fl oz double cream
few drops vanilla extract
100g/3½oz caster sugar
400g/14oz dark chocolate, must be 80% or more cocoa solids
50g/2oz butter
50g of chopped roasted hazelnuts or flaked almonds

Method

1. For the pastry, place the flour, salt and butter into a food processor and blitz until the mixture is like breadcrumbs.

2. Add the egg, egg yolk and sugar and pulse until the mixture forms a dough. Place into cling film and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.

3. Preheat oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6.



4. Place dough out on a lightly floured surface and rollinto a sausage about 3" wide. then slice off 5m sections and line a 25cm/10in fluted tart tin. I find slicing the pasty when chilled then pressing it down like Playdoh really easy and is much better than all the fuss of rolling and dropping it. trip the top of the pastry on the tin

5. Place a piece of greaseproof paper on top and weigh it down with baking beans or coins.

6. Blind bake the pastry for 15-18 minutes dependent on the oven, or until lightly browned. remove from the oven and leave to cool.



6. Meanwhile, for the filling, bring the cream, vanilla extract and sugar slowly to the boil in a pan.



7. Break the chocolate and butter into pieces and place into a large bowl. Pour over the cream mixture and whisk slowly until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth.



8. Pour the chocolate mixture into the tart case (add the chopped hazelnuts or almond flakes after the mix, this lets them stay at the top of the tart and makes it look really proffesional) and leave to cool. Place in the fridge to set for two hours.



9. Add the white chocolate and stir until melted. Stir in the remaining cream.



10. To serve, cut the tart into wedges . Serve with some whipped cream and a few chopped hazelnuts sprinkled on the cream.



This is soooooo rich, but amazing.