Chocolate & Raspberry Tart – something luscious for your Valentine?
With Valentine’s Day just around the corner its always important to honour the ones you love with, what else – but CHOCOLATE!!!!!!???????? You could buy ‘that someone special’ an overpriced less than personal card and bunch of flowers and they will feel grateful but if you go to the effort of making them something down-right delicious, super-sexy-gorgeous they will feel loved, appreciated and entirely special! So I thought I would share this recipe with you all and hopefully get you inspired, loved up and whipping up a Valentine’s kitchen storm…………………..x
Chocolate & Raspberry Tart
serves 2-12
For the pastry:
150g plain/pastry flour
40g oil
3-4 tbs water
1/2 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
For the filling:
500g dark chocolate
250g coconut fat or margarine (coconut will give you a firmer more melt in the mouth texture-marg a slightly softer texture)
125ml agave syrup
100ml soy milk or cream
200g fresh raspberry
cherry flavouring to taste (optional)
1tbs vanilla extract
9 inch pie tin
Pre-heat the iven to gm 5, 190c,375f
Make the pastry by sifting the flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl and then adding the oil and gently rubbing it all together until it forms into a ‘crumblike’ consistency that comes together into a ball easily but falls apart when pinched. Now add the water to bring it together, start with 3 Tbs and then gentlyknead it in, you need enough water to make it form a workable dough that is not too sticky or too dry. When your ready, roll out your pastry with a little flour to stop it sticking and then place in your pie tin (which is either non-stick, layered with greaseproof paper or covered with a thin layer of grease and flour) and trim away any rough edges. Now cover with a layer of greaseproof paper and put ‘baking beans’ on top and bake until golden and cooked right through, removing the top later of greaseproof and baking beans for the last 5 minutes of cooking, to allow the middle to cook.
Prepare the filling by melting all of the ingredients, except the raspberries, in a double boiler – then pour into the pastry shell, scatter the raspberries on top and chill until set firm.
Now be prepared for some serious Valentine appreciation……………..! xx
