Autumn is coming and so are cosy nights in by the fire (we love this time of year!) The colours outside are vibrant and tis' the season for a bounty of allotment swag.
But once you've roasted your root vegetables and braised your meat, who doesn't love something sweet for dessert? Hail the impressive looking cardamom & chocolate swirl tart. We implore you to follow this recipe to the letter and swirl away ...
Chef's Note: "Blackberries are everywhere at the moment and would make a delicious garnish for this tart, always wash before use!"
Ingredients:
For the pastry:
2 egg yolks
225g soft unsalted butter
1 table spoon golden caster sugar
450g plain flour
For the rest:
7 cardamom pods
400ml double cream
50g butter
350g dark chocolate
350g white chocolate
Method:
Ahead of time, make the pastry:
Cream the sugar and butter together in a bowl, then sift in the flour, finally adding the egg yolks one at a time.
Form a soft dough, knead together until well combined.
Wrap the dough in cling film and place in the fridge for about 1 hour to chill. Form in to your favourite tart dish and blind bake before you start the chocolate overload!
Now for the fun bit:
Crush the cardamom pods with a pestle & mortar, then put the seeds and the husks in a medium sized pan. Pour in the cream and heat gently until the cream begins to simmer.
Remove the pan from the heat and then leave to infuse for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile ... finely chop the white chocolate and tip in to a bowl (don't eat it!). Do the same with the dark chocolate in a separate bowl.
After 30 minutes, bring the cream back to a gentle boil and then remove from the heat and divide between the two bowls of a chocolate - through a sieve in order to discard the cardamom pods.
Add the butter to the bowl of white chocolate cream and cover the bowl with cling film. Give the bowl a shake so that the chocolate sinks in to the cream. Cover & shake the dark chocolate cream in the same way (no butter in this one!)
After one minute, the chocolate will be softened and both bowls will require a stir with clean spoons. You should be left with silky smooth bowls of joy, which will need pouring in to seperate piping bags and left to cool for 20 minutes.
Once cooled, snip the ends of your piping bags and fill your tart case using zig zag motions, alternating the chocolates until the tart case is full (there is sometimes mixture left over which can be devoured or set in to little truffle style treats - your choice).
Use a skewer to make a beautiful swirl pattern and then leave to cool in the fridge for at least 4 hours. Patience is a virtue! Ideally leave over-night to let the ganache do it's thing, always retrieve from the fridge 30 minutes before serving.
You are welcome, Team TSP.