Tarte au chocolat

Tarte au chocolat is a baked tart composed of a shortcrust pastry and a filling made from dark chocolate, cream, milk and egg. The chocolate used should be a couverture chocolate of at least 70 per cent.

• serves

  8

• prep

  30 minutes

• cook

  1 hour

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

Vanilla-bean ice cream

• 500 g egg yolks        
• 225 g caster sugar    
• 1 litre cream        
• 1 litre milk        
• 62 g caster sugar        
• 4 vanilla beans       

Sweet shortcut pastry

• 100 g icing sugar
• 300 g plain flour
• 150 g unsalted butter, diced
• 2 egg yolks
• 2 tbsp ice-cold water

Tart filling

• 400 g 70 per cent couverture chocolate (see Note)
• 40 g butter
• 300 ml cream
• 100 ml milk
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 large eggs

Resting time: 2 hours

Freezing time: 1 hour

Instructions

1. To make the vanilla bean ice cream, whisk egg yolks and the 225 g sugar in a stand mixer until light and fluffy.
2. In a heavy-based saucepan bring cream, milk, vanilla and the 62 g sugar to the boil.
3. When boiled, remove from heat and pour on to egg mixture, whisking briskly to combine mixture until completely incorporated. Pour into a large bowl and cool over ice.
4. Once cool, churn according to ice-cream machine instructions and freeze for 1 hour.
5. Meanwhile, make the pastry by sifting the sugar and flour together in a medium bowl. Cut the butter into the flour using a pastry cutter or your fingers or a food processor. Add the egg yolks then mix the dough until it forms a ball, add the cold water 1 tbsp at a time if dough is too dry.
6. If dough is too soft, flatten to a disc and wrap with cling wrap. Refrigerate for 20 minutes before rolling.
7. Roll out into 3-mm thick disc and line a 25-cm tart tin. Dot with a fork and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Pre-heat oven to 200°C.
8. Cover the dough with baking paper and place pie weights on top. Blind bake for 45 minutes. Remove from oven and remove pie weights from the baked tart shell. Return to oven for 15 minutes or until golden.
9. Remove tart shell from oven and cool down completely. Once tart shell is cool, it is ready for use.
10. For the filling, preheat oven to 120°C. Chop chocolate and butter into small pieces and place in a bowl.
11. Bring the cream, milk and vanilla to the boil then pour on top of chocolate. Cover and let it sit for 1 minute.
12. Blend chocolate with a hand blender until smooth or a whisk if you don’t have one. Add eggs one at a time, whisking until combined.
13. Pour the mixture into the tart shell and bake for 45 minutes. The centre should still be soft. Cool down at room temperature to avoid cracking. Do not refrigerate. Serve with the vanilla-bean ice cream.

 

Note

• Couverture chocolate is also called baking chocolate. For this recipe, it is recommended to use the best quality chocolate that you are willing to buy. Specialty food stores like Simon Johnson, Two providores and Red Spoon Company stock chocolate that professionals use in smaller quantities.

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Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.