Cooking with chocolate demands judgement and judgement demands evidence. My lips were smeared with compelling evidence as I marveled at the simplicity of this glossy tart. The first cut had no need to be the deepest as no tart before had adhered with such zealous commitment to Wallis Simpson’s maxim. This tart is as rich and as thin as a tart can be; yet shuns the mask of cosmetic good looks, unlike many similar tarts, whilst retaining that essential, yet elusive, quality of intensely good taste. The first mouthful had me wondering how there was no Queen Wallis…maybe Edward was unwilling to share.
This recipe is a bybrid from the pages of Stephane Reynaud’s “Ripaille” and Patricia Wells'”Bistro Cooking”. As with many enjoyable moments, there is no exact formula. I would tell you to make the shortest, sweetest pastry; chill it for a good hour or two and then lay it out on a flat oven tray and sprinkle with crushed hazelnuts. Roll up the edge, prick the base and cook for about 25 minutes in a hot oven (200C). Meanwhile melt good dark chocolate, butter and cream in a bowl over hot water. Pour this mixture into the cooked pastry case and let it cool. Whisky or whatever can be added to the chocolate although I didn’t as I like to keep as far away from whisky as possible….most people who know me would agree with this caveat.
Food, Photography & France 
Lord, all my dislike of a too thick crust and over the top thick filling has been solved in one thin and chocolatey swoop. Mayhaps Wallis was half right.
certainly about chocolate tarts:)
I’m not a great fan of pudding, but there are a few I like and I might be tempted by a thin slice of your chocolate tart… though i suspect it’s already gone 😉
sadly, yes…I was thinking you might like it as I finished it…..by the way, what do you think of Lyles; I haven’t been there and I hear people raving or loathing…what’s your take?…I know the St.John link but the food does seem to be a little daft…
I haven’t been, but the large menu for lunch and small one for supper seems odd. Their fish courses sound more exciting than the meat. I was thinking of making my own blood cake in Spain, where I can easily by the blood by the pint. I have been to Brawn on Columbia Road, another St. John like restaurant – it was very good 🙂
… I’ll have to ask Fergus what he thinks of Lyles…
…that would be excellent, but I bet he’ll be nice as the chef and owner used to run St.John Bread and wine,I think:)
James Lowe did indeed run Bread and Wine for a few years. It will be amusing to see if Fergus is immediately full of praise or struggles to find something to say 😉
..I’m on tenterhooks:)
Looks delish……
cheers…it really is:)
Make me one!
magicing it over now:)
😀
This is not good…. not good at all! 😉
I will just have to try this, dammit!
we all make mistakes…this is a good one to make:)
There seems to be a story behind your whisky exclusion. Does it apply to brandy and cognac as well? A little orangey spirit also? Sadly I can no longer eat chocolate but do lust after it. The rich biscuit base looks delectable too.
I seem to have an aversion to whiskey or should I say an aversion to only having one or two glasses! An excess of spirits takes me to a bad place which I’d rather not visit..:)
absolutely gorgeous
Cheers…and thanks for the visit:)
Feel I have to disagree with you and the lady who never did get to wear a crown: one can most certainly be too thin and [hate to be a spoilsport 😀 !!] at the same time having too chocolatey tastes. Unless these concern that 70% and above stuff I personally actually do like!
Off topic: Received my copy of ‘The Debt to Pleasure’ y’day: it too is sitting on my bedside table, but I do hope for less than the year it spent on yours! I hope most of your readers do realize how cheap it is to augment your library with ‘pre-loved’ volumes : mine came from Ireland, cost one cent, had a postage of around six dollars and looks brand-new!! Thanks for the tip, Roger . . .
Another lot of thanks! After Commander Chris Hadfield’s phenomenal performance on our ‘Q&A’ 48 hours back have just bought his book second-hand ‘as new’ – just short of $A6 coming from Florida!! I am converted . . .
Brilliant:)
I’m coming to the end of another wonderful book by Gail Anderson-Dargatz called “The Cure for Death by Lightning”. – http://www.amazon.com/Cure-Death-Lightning-Gail-Anderson-Dargatz/dp/0385720475 – hardback available for £0.01 !….I think you’d like it.
Roger: I’ll shoot you all the way from the Antipodes – what the hell are you trying to do to my very, very slim pocketbook . . . at the same time I so hope your beloved wife will allow me a huge ‘virtual’ hug some whatever ‘miles’!!!! Where off before local work . . . ?
we could go into competition on the slimness of our pocket books:)
the title of this post made me laugh…i don’t even like chocolate but I think you have me on this one
I only like dark 80% chocolate…which was the stuff I used 🙂
Perfect! Chocolate tarts are usually just too much. You’ve fixed that.
I doubt Wallis even knew what cooking was, but she had good maxims:)
Oh dear Roger, please, please , don’t you ever bother us again , with a post like this one !!!! What did you think when posting this? I am drooling for the rest of my wanting to loose weight life. LOL . Love it!!
Pleased to hear that you’ve succumbed to temptation…or nearly:)
Yes, those two somewhat mutually exclusive things that you manage to combine here. 🙂
🙂