Extraordinary Chocolate Tart

Serves 6-8

For the almond shortbread pastry:

120g butter

90g icing sugar

15g ground almonds

1 whole egg

240g (divided into 60g & 80g) plain flour

2g salt

For the dark chocolate ganache:

350g dark chocolate (ideally 70% cocoa)

250g (250ml) double cream

1tbsp honey

50g butter

First, make the almond pastry. In a mixing bowl, soften the butter, add in the salt, icing sugar, ground almond, egg and the 60g flour.

When the mixture is smooth, add in the 180g of flour kneading as little as possible. Roll out to 3mm thick between two sheets of greaseproof paper and set aside in the freezer for 30 minutes.

Once cold and hardened, cut out a circle to line a 23cm tart tin with.

Allow to rest for 30min in the fridge before lining with baking beads and baking at 160°C until the case is a nice golden brown.

Next prepare the dark chocolate ganache: chop the chocolate and melt it down slowly over a bain marie or in a microwave oven set at medium power. In a saucepan, bring the cream and honey to the boil.

Pour about a third of the hot cream on the chocolate and stir in the centre with a rubber spatula in order to create a smooth, glossy and elastic core of emulsion.

Pour in the second third of cream and repeat the same process. Then finish with the last third, making sure to keep the same texture all along.

When the temperature of the ganache reaches about 35/40C, add in the butter diced into cubes. Mix with a hand blender to perfect the emulsion process. Pour immediately in the baked tart base. Allow to set in the refrigerator for about two hours and serve at room temperature.

Pastry chef’s tip: In order to preserve the shortcrust’s crunch, seal the inner surface of the tart base with a thin coat of melted chocolate using a pastry brush

Cooking with Chocolate: Essential Recipes and Techniques, £23.96. Editor Frederic Bau, photographer Clay McLachlan.