CHOCOLATE GANACHE TARTS

Paul’s nephew, Elijah, when he was three years old, used to scoop and lick out every morsel of the chocolate tart filling, leaving the tart shell entirely empty and perfectly clean. His birthday cake for years was a mound of these tarts.

These tarts are so popular we couldn’t help sharing this recipe from our first book. At Bourke Street Bakery we use Belgian chocolate in these tarts. It is worth spending a little more on the highest-quality chocolate you can lay your hands on — you’ll taste the difference… or the Elijah in your life will, at least.

Makes 20 tarts, 8 cm (3¼ inches) in size

1 quantity Sweet shortcrust pastry

CHOCOLATE GANACHE FILLING

850 g (1 lb 14 oz) good-quality milk chocolate, finely chopped

500 ml (17 fl oz/2 cups) thin (pouring) cream (35% fat)

Follow the instructions here to roll out the pastry and use it to line twenty 8 cm (3¼ inch) round, fluted loose-based tart tins. Rest the pastry cases in the freezer for at least 20 minutes.

Blind-bake the tart cases in a preheated 200°C (400°F) oven for 20–25 minutes, or until golden. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.

To make the filling, put the chocolate in a stainless steel bowl. Pour the cream into a saucepan and bring to the boil over high heat — this needs to happen quickly so the cream doesn’t evaporate and reduce in volume. Pour the cream over the chocolate and stir with a rubber spatula or a wooden spoon until well combined. Be careful not to create air bubbles, as these will give a pocked look to the top of the tarts.

Pour the chocolate mixture into a jug, then pour it into the cooled blind-baked tart shells, filling them to the brim.

Allow the tarts to set at room temperature overnight in a plastic airtight container.

These chocolate tarts are best not refrigerated and should be eaten within 24 hours. If you do need to keep them for longer, they can be refrigerated for up to 2 days, then brought back to room temperature to be eaten, but condensation will form on the top after refrigeration, which will affect their appearance.