Belgium chocolate and currant tart with ice cream and syrup
Recommended with Coates The VP or Coates Barrel Selection Fortified
Sweet pastry
300g plain flour 200g butter
2 egg yolks 100g icing sugar
1 tart tin lined greased and floured well ½ vanilla pod seeds (optional)
Place flour, butter and icing sugar into a food processor and process until well combined (no lumps of butter). Add yolks and process until it just comes together, tip into a large bowl and push together gently to form dough. Place into fridge wrapped and leave to rest for 30 mins. Turn oven onto 150C.
Divide pastry into 4 pieces. Roll one piece between go between (or baking paper) and push into a tin. Repeat with remaining pastry until tin is covered. Place in fridge for 30 mins.
Line tart with two sheets of baking paper then fill with baking weights such as chickpeas or dried beans to the rim of the tart (these are re-useable for the same job so don’t throw them away).
Place in oven and bake until top edge of pastry is starting to turn golden, remove top sheet of baking paper with beans then carefully remove second piece of paper – if it sticks put back into oven and finish cooking with paper on and remove later. Continue to cook until base is just starting to turn golden. Set aside to cool.
Left over pastry can be used later on for other things or freezes well. Re-rolled pastry is fine also.
Chocolate filling
Start this the day before
2 ½ tblspn Coates The VP Shiraz ½ cup currants
250g Belgium dark chocolate chopped 200ml cream
2 tblspn dark brown sugar ¼ tspn ground star anise
1tblspn cocoa 20g unsalted butter
½ vanilla pod scraped for its seeds or 2 eggs whisked lightly
¼ tspn vanilla paste
Place currants and fortified into a small container, mix well and leave overnight, stir a couple of times over this period.
Heat oven to 165C.
In a saucepan add chocolate, cream, sugar, anise, cocoa, butter and vanilla scrapings. Stir over low heat until chocolate is melted and ingredients are combined well. Pour a small amount over eggs, stir well. Pour over ½ remaining chocolate mixture, stir well then repeat with remaining mix.
Pour half chocolate mixture into prepared tart shell top with ½ the soaked currants (reserving remaining currants and liquid for the syrup). Top with remaining filling and bake in oven 165C until middle doesn’t wobble anymore (not cooked on top like a cake, just until is it stable, not liquid). Set aside to cool for at least 3 hours before serving. Or make the day before, refrigerate – make sure to let it come to room temp before serving.
Syrup
Left over currants and liquid from filling recipe
1 tblspn golden syrup
In a small saucepan (or you can do this in the microwave carefully by using a mug and stirring every 10 seconds on high until combined) heat ingredients together on medium heat stirring until combined. Set aside until ready to serve.
To serve
You can serve this dish as a whole tart where people can help themselves to a slice (I would top with some of the syrup and currants if doing this) with cream in a jug or it is nice to place a wedge in the middle of a plate drizzle over some of the currant syrup and serve with your favourite ice cream, plain flavours like vanilla and nut varieties i.e. scorched almond etc work best or alternatively double cream or jersey cream are delicious!