Chocolate Orange Tart

I love making this tart.
its very popular and quite easy to make. That's if you don't find pastry a chore.

You will need a 23 cm or 9,1/2 inch flitted tart tin and some rice or baking beans to blind bake later.




Ingredients

Sweet Pastry:

175g or 6oz plain flour
85g or 3oz real butter
1tbsn caster sugar (you may use icing sugar but its makes the pastry a little harder to work with ).
2 egg yolks
1 Tsp vanilla extract

Method:
In a large bowl
Rub the flour and butter together
Until it represents fine bread crumbs
Add sugar
Finally mix in the egg yolks and vanilla with a dinner knife until a ball forms.
If the pastry looks too wet add a little flour if it is too dry add a splash of water.
Wrap in cling film and chill for 20 minutes
Then grease your baking tin
Roll out the pastry as thin as possible
Roll the pastry back on the roller and lay flat over the tin and gently press in to the edges.
Cut off the excess
If it breaks fill in the gaps with left over scraps
Don't worry no one will see the mistakes when it's finished !
Line with baking parchment
Add the baking beans or rice
Blind Bake in 160oc oven for 15-20 minutes

Remove beans and cool

Ingredients for filling:

500ml cream
500g dark chocolate chopped
Zest of 2 oranges

Method:

This method and quantity is know as a ganache
Very versatile recipe to know can be used as a cake filling , homemade truffles , when made cooled and set. If melted down again it can be poured over cakes to give a beautiful gloss for a professional finish.


Boil cream
Have chocolate and orange zest in a bowl
Pour on top of the chocolate and orange zest.
Don't stir it for a few seconds as the ganache may become grainy otherwise.
Whisk until combined
Pour the silky chocolate ganache in to the tart shell and chill for 2-3 hours.
Serve with ice cream
Enjoy !


Variations:

Add some chopped chilli for a exotic bite
Fresh/ frozen raspberries
Praline
Hazelnuts

Experiment with what ever you fancy