SHF #9: Dark Chocolate Tart

I love an excuse to bake. Even more, I love an excuse to bake this tart! So when Life in Flow (the host of Food Porn Watch) announced that this month's Sugar High Friday's theme was tarts, I was pretty happy. As was Cakes. He knew that I'd be making this tart almost before I did.

It's from Tamasin Day-Lewis' 2000 book Art of the Tart. And believe me, it is a work of art. I bought Ms. Day-Lewis' (Daniel Day-Lewis' sister, by the way!) book a few years ago when I was going through an all-tarts-all-the-time phase. I first made it for a Monday night Sex and the City party at Veronica and Niki's place and the girls all loved it. It is very rich though, so watch it. A 25 cm tart will feed at least 8 chocoholic girls. Ms. Day-Lewis attributes her recipe to Simon Hopkinson (of Roast Chicken and Other Stories fame).

I've adapted the recipe a little bit as I can't seem to help myself from adding cinnamon and cardamom to anything with chocolate these days.

For the Pastry:

• 180g butter
• 75g granulated sugar
• 2 egg yolks
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 225g pastry flour

Process all the ingredients in into a homogenous paste, roll into a ball and chill in the fridge, covered in cling flim, for a hour. Roll out between two sheets of clingfilm, and line a 25cm tart tin with the pastry. Trim. Blind bake for 25 minutes at 180C (350F). Set aside.

For Filling:

• 2 eggs
• 3 yolks
• 45g granulated sugar
• 150g butter
• 200g dark chocolate, in pieces

Melt butter and chocolate in a double boiler, or in a metal bowl over a pot of simmering water, stirring occasionally. While the chocolate is melting, beat together the other ingredients until they mixture becomes thick and fluffy. Pour chocolate into the egg mixture and beat until combined. Pour into tart shell and return to the hot (180C/350F)oven for 5 minutes. The tart won't look set, but trust me, it is as cooked as it should be.  Set the cooked tart aside to cool completely. Serve with cinnamon whipped cream.

This is so seriously good. I've never had another chocolate tart that even comes close to this one!

Comments

[Elvira]

Very yummy!

[Zarah Maria]

Oh. my. god. Ohmygod, Lyn, that looks LUXURIOUS! The idea of adding cardamom and cinnamon sounds sounds great. I have the book too - and love it!

[Ana]

Looks so good Lyn!

[Chefdoc]

Hi Lyn, Great post. I am INto chocolate tarts! The cardamom-cinnamon in the crust looks intriguing. I must give this a try.

[Nic]

I love it, Lyn. That first picture looks like a lake of chocolate!

[mireille]

beautiful. and your photography does wonderful things, too.

[Lyn]

Zarah:
The cinnamon and cardamom really ad a nice complexity to it. Without those additions I get a bit overwhelemed by the buttery chocolatey-ness of it. The cinnnamon whipped gream is a good foil too.

I love Tamasin's book. I aspire to make every tart in there at least once. I rerally want to make the fig tart from the back cover, but I can't seem to find fresh figs here the way I could in Melbourne!

mmmm.... lake of chocolate.

[Stephanie]

That is so gorgeous! And I love it even more for being rectangular.

[Sam]

I just want to dive in

[Niki]

I'm drooling like Homer Simpson. Seriously!