Chocolate tart

[Paul]

Chocolate tart

Serves lots of people, cut in thin slivers!

1 24-26cm shortcrust tart shell, baked blind.  Or buy one


Creme fraiche (or sour cream) 250g
Best quality dark chocolate 200g
Unsalted butter 50g

Add all ingredients into TMZ and mix on speed 3 at 70 C for 5 minutes or until all melted and mixed.  Pour into cooled tart shell and put in fridge.  Take it out about an hour before serving.  Serve with cream, or grated chocolate.

This recipe is modified from an insert I found in a 1kg block of Valrhona couverture chocolate I bought from Paris.  Valrhona is the best chocolate I have ever tasted, but bloody expensive in Australia.  It was about 1/3 of the price in France, so when I have been there, usually 2-3kg blocks find their way into my luggage.  I try to look innocent at customs in case they ask why I am importing seemingly commercial quantities of chocolate.  Although everyone says not to store chocolate in the fridge, I have to do this in a tropical climate, and it seems to make no difference to the finished product.  This tart looks as if you have spent hours on it, not 5 minutes.  Once I added some gold leaf onto the top to make it look really amazing.  The pre-made tart shells look much more professional than my dodgy hand made ones, but don't taste as nice.  You could make a sweet short crust pastry but I think the overall taste is then too sweet, so I use one without sugar.  It is really important to use the best chocolate you can afford.

Members' comments
Amanda - I made this for dinner last night and it is wonderful, very chocolatey and so easy!! I think that it deserves better than a bought tart case, though - with a nice flan it is very special. I think this might be even better with a splash of Baileys or similar, too!

JulieO -  Instead of a pastry base I made a biscuit one to make even easier.  Used a whole packet of Granita biscuits, took 3 seconds to turn into crumbs in the TM, and added 80g melted butter and pressed into the pan then put in the fridge to chill while making the filling. I put into the fridge to set and left overnight.  Originally was going to decorate the top, but time got away from me yesterday so I decorated each slice as I cut and served.  Just with a swirl of piped cream, and a drizzle of still warm caramel sauce that I'd made, and with another swirl of cream on the plate with a fanned out strawberry on top.  Looked like a million dollars and yet required so little effort.

Uni - JulieO's tweaks makes it super easy.

snappy - Made this tonight, it's in the fridge to set overnight - will let you know how it turns out. Next time I would probably use plain cream rather than sour cream as the chocolate mixture had more of a tang than I would like.
I used a biscuit base instead of pastry to make it super quick and easy. Truly, you can make this dessert in less than 10 mins and then into the refrigerator for a couple of hours.  It looks pretty impressive considering how easy it is.
Update after tasting - Ok, I was wrong.  This pie was DELICIOUS!  It got so many compliments that nobody even noticed the cookies and cream fudge - how is that possible??? Make it exactly as specified and you will be invited everywhere!  I would say it serves about 8 slices.
I like my desserts sweet too and thought it would be nowhere sweet enough for my tastes as I was making it so I added 3 tablespoons of icing sugar to the chocolate mixture to sweeten it up a bit.  I would have preferred it a little sweeter but everyone else liked it as it was.

courton - I made this using granita biscuit base. The base was far too crumbly but the filling was yum but very rich. Next time I will use it in tiny NZ Franklin brand ready cases.
Made it again last night for a dinner party. Huge hit and so easy to make. I  made it with 70% cocoa and dark chocolate (half and half)... If you like dark chocolate, you will love this recipe.

Wonder - Made this using some ginger nut biscuits that were left in the freezer for the base. I needed to make 1 1/2 times the mixture even though I thought my tin was smaller than suggested.

Denzelmum -  Made the crust with biscuit, using Cadbury baking chocolate and add a bit of homemade vanilla sugar.  It's perfect!

[judydawn]

OMG how easy is that!  Another one for my dessert file, thanks Paul.

[Amanda]

I made this for dinner last night and it is wonderful, very chocolatey and so easy!!
I think that it deserves better than a bought tart case, though - with a nice flan it is very special.
Thanks, Paul!

[cookie1]

Yum. What's another kilo or two.  DD makes a Nigella one similar to this but much more difficult and time consuming.
Thanks.

[CreamPuff63]

I must give this recipe a go - Pauls recipes are fabulous

[Amanda]

I think this might be even better with a splash of Baileys or similar, too!

[Thermomixer]

Wonder how the holiday is going?

[JulieO]

I made this on Friday to serve yesterday: it is really nice.  Instead of a pastry base I made a biscuit one to make even easier.  Used a whole packet of Granita biscuits, took 3 seconds to turn into crumbs in the TM, and added 80g melted butter and pressed into the pan then put in the fridge to chill while making the filling.

I put into the fridge to set and left overnight.  Originally was going to decorate the top, but time got away from me yesterday so I decorated each slice as I cut and served.  Just with a swirl of piped cream, and a drizzle of still warm caramel sauce that I'd made, and with another swirl of cream on the plate with a fanned out strawberry on top.  Looked like a million dollars and yet required so little effort.

Thanks for a great recipe Paul, will watch for more with interest. 

[Paul]

Wonder how the holiday is going?

Hi, I'm back.  And catching up on all the work, so not much time for anything else.  Cyprus was very interesting and emotional, found 2 of my Mum's long lost first cousins, saw where my grandfather lived, had some great food (esp olive oil, lamb, sheep's yoghurt, carob syrup,) but I must say I was sick of eating afterwards.  Looking forward to a weekend off and playing with the thermomix

[Thermomixer]

Welcome back - good to hear you had a great time - have you tried Meredith Dairies' Sheep milk yoghurt?

[judydawn]

Hi Paul, welcome back - missed your postings.  Get any ideas/recipes from the old country you can post? How lovely for your dear Mum to have a trip back home - got to love a son that will do that with you. Bet you are surprised at how much the forum has grown since you were last on here.

[Paul]

Hi Paul, welcome back - missed your postings.  Get any ideas/recipes from the old country you can post? How lovely for your dear Mum to have a trip back home - got to love a son that will do that with you. Bet you are surprised at how much the forum has grown since you were last on here.

I'm even more surprised at how much I have grown.  Not much in the way of new recipes, but it was nice eating beautiful tasting fruit and veges

[fundj&e]

  this sound so easy and yummy, maybe next weekend i will make it if i can eat 

[snappy]

Thanks for bumping Uni, this looks delicious.  I might join you in and make it for a BBQ lunch next weekend

[fundj&e]

  JulieO's tweaks makes it super easy