Dark & Rich, as a man should be...

Obviously, the opposite has its benefits too but not in this case.

To celebrate our first entry, I propose that we break all the rules of tradition and go straight to dessert, of the dark and rich variety. I would like to share a recipe for a (dark & rich) chocolate tart which was tried and tested during what I now like to refer to as "Food week" or the time when Jacinta, Adam and Margaret were visiting Nice. More on that later but I'll say one thing : it was epic! (it also explains my current soup phase).

Anyway, the recipe below is a combination of two recipes. The pastry, which is deliciously light and just melts in your mouth, is borrowed from Rosa J., the cooking teacher I currently work for. This pastry is a little bit special because she uses olive oil in combination with some butter and because of that, it cooks quickly, reaching a lovely golden color, while maintaining its shape very well. It works wonderfully for a lemon tart as well which is how Rosa often uses it.

The filling, which is responsible for the title of the tart, comes from a Women Weekly recipe online. It uses cream and dark chocolate in equal proportions. It is delicous and sets very well once in the fridge. It probably helps to take it out of the fridge a little before serving, maybe half an hour to let the chocolate soften nicely. The filling is as easy to make as it is delicious so in my world, that makes it worth the effort. And since it is quite rich, your chocolate tart will probably last at least a few days, delighting you for many morning coffees!

Give it a go and let us know what you think ...

Dark & Rich Chocolate Tart

(serves 8)

• For the pastry :

60 g butter, at room temperature

30 g icing sugar

15 g ground almonds

1/4 tsp sea salt

120 g plain flour

1 egg yolk

50 ml olive oil ( 3 1/2 tbsp)

• For the filling :

300 ml creme fraiche

300 g dark chocolate, finely chopped

4 egg yolks

(the pastry preparation is based on Rosa’s recipe for “Menton lemon tart with olive oil”.)

In a large mixing bowl, combine the butter, icing sugar, powdered almonds, salt and 2 tbsp of the flour using a pastry scraper or a food processor. When the mixture is well combined, add the remaining flour, egg yolk and olive oil. Mix again until it forms a smooth ball (this happens quite quickly in a food processor).

With your fingers, press this dough, as evenly possible, into a tart tin with a removable base (it doesn't hurt to butter the edges a little bit). Press the dough above the sides of the tin and cut off the excess with one swipe of the rolling pin across the top to give your pastry a neat edge.

Prick the pastry all over with a fork and bake in a 200 C. oven until it is lightly browned all over, about 8 minutes. Set aside. There is no need to weigh it down to bake it.

For the filling, heat the cream in a saucepan until it starts to boil. Add the chocolate and stir until well combined. Remove from the heat and whisk in the egg yolks. Pour the filling into the cooled crust and place in the refrigerator until set.

Take out of the refrigerator about 1/2 hour before serving. Enjoy with a dollop of cream or ice cream.

Enjoy it, we did!