Chocolate Tart

I rarely make dessert. Generally when the sugar craving hits I just persuade (read: bully) my husband into ducking out to grab me an ice-cream... However, last week I decided it was time to expand my culinary repertoire, and voila! here you have it - one beautiful chocolate tart.

Now this tart is very very rich and not overly sweet, so if you prefer a lighter option you could perhaps try using half dark and half milk chocolate.

For the base:

125g chilled butter
1 cup plain flour
1/3 cup icing sugar
1/4 cup almond meal
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 egg yolk

For the filling:

4 egg yolks
1 tbsp custard powder
2 tbsp caster sugar
200g dark chocolate, chopped
300ml thin pouring cream
250ml milk

Place the butter, flour, icing sugar, almond meal and cocoa powder in the food processor* and process until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add the egg yolk and process until the mixture just comes together.

*If you don't have a food processor you can do this by hand - just put all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and rub with your fingertips until you achieve breadcrumb like consistency.

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and gently knead until almost smooth. Cover with cling wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Roll rested pastry on a lightly floured surface to a 4mm thick disc, then press into a 23cm tart tin with a removable base. Use a knife to trim any excess from the edges then place in the fridge for 15 minutes.

Place the tart tin on an oven tray and line the pastry with baking paper and fill with rice or beans. Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes, then remove and discard the rice or beans and cook for a further 5 minutes. Remove tart case and reduce oven temperature to 160 degrees.

Meanwhile, to make the custard filling, combine egg yolks, custard powder and caster sugar in a saucepan. Add the chocolate, cream and milk then place over low heat. Cook, whisking occasionally for 5 minutes or until the chocolate melts and the mixture is smooth. Remove from the heat.

Pour the chocolate mix into the pastry case then bake in the oven for 20 minutes or until the custard is just set. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool, then place into the fridge to chill completely.

Serve topped with lightly whipped cream, fresh raspberries and a grating of extra dark chocolate.

Serves 8.