SALTED CHOCOLATE TART WITH BERRIES
I usually avoid making chocolate tarts because I have never really felt that the pastry served the chocolate, or was worth the effort. This is my simple solution: make a base out of chocolate biscuits. And the filling is just as easy to make, too. I never lie about how effortless something is to make, but no one will believe me on this one.
It is an incredibly easy dessert to make that doesn’t require you to switch on the oven; but it tastes so good that you would never know that it is such low effort.
It consists of a Oreo crust ( Oreos are accidentally vegan as are many of the copycat varieties, but do check the packet to be sure as the recipe may vary from country to country); and it is filled with a silky smooth chocolate ganche and fresh berries.
Chocolate and berries is a classic combination for good reason; so I decorated this no-bake chocolate tart with lots of fresh fruit. The freshness of which also helps to temper the richness of the tart as well as making it look stunning.
If you are decorating with fruit however, be sure not to put it on the tart until shortly before serving as after a while it will weep and make the ganache soggy. The tart can be made up to two days in advance and kept covered in the fridge until ready to serve. Don’t add any decorations until shortly before serving, as they won’t last long.
For this recipe you will need a 23cm/9in deep-sided (approx. 5cm/2in deep), loosebottomed flan tin.
Ingredients
For the base
38 oreo cookies (yes thats very specific) 😁
50g/1¾oz dark chocolate (min. 70% cocoa solids)
50g/1¾oz unsalted butter, softened
½ tsp sea salt flakes
For the filling
100g/3½oz dark chocolate (minimum 70% cocoa solids)
25g/1oz cornflour
4 tbsp full-fat milk
500ml/18fl oz double cream
50g/1¾oz cocoa powder, sieved
2 tsp instant espresso powder or strong instant coffee powder
75g/2½oz caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
¾ tsp sea salt flakes
Method
For the base, snap the biscuits into pieces and drop them into the bowl of a food processor. Do likewise with the chocolate, then blitz them together until you have crumbs. Add the butter and salt, and blitz again until the mixture starts to clump together.
Press into your tart tin and pat down on the bottom and up the sides of the tin with your hands or the back of a spoon, so that the base and sides are evenly lined and smooth. Put into the fridge to harden for at least 1 hour. I wouldn’t keep it for longer than a day like this as the crust tends to get too crumbly.
For the filling, finely chop the chocolate. Put the cornflour into a cup and whisk in the milk until smooth. (I find it easier to use cups for the liquids – in which case the milk measure is equivalent to an American quarter cup, and you’ll need 2 cups of cream.)
Pour the cream into a heavy-based saucepan into which all the ingredients can fit and be stirred without splashing out of the pan, then add the finely chopped rubble of chocolate, the sieved cocoa (or just sieve it straight in), espresso or instant coffee powder, sugar, vanilla extract, olive oil and salt. Place over a medium to low heat and whisk gently – I use a very small whisk for this, as I’m not aiming to get air in the mixture, I’m just trying to remove any lumpiness – as the cream heats and the chocolate starts melting.
Off the heat, whisk in the cornflour and milk mixture until it, too, is smoothly incorporated, and put the pan back on a low heat. With a wooden spoon, keep stirring until the mixture thickens, which it will do around the 10-minute mark, but be prepared for it to take a few minutes more or less. Take the pan off the heat every so often, still stirring, so that everything melds together, without the cream coming to a boil. When ready, it should be thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon, and if you run your finger through it (across the back of the spoon) the line should stay.
Pour into a wide measuring jug. Now run a piece of baking parchment or greaseproof paper under the cold tap, wring it out and place the damp, crumpled piece right on top of the chocolate mixture, then put the jug into the fridge for 15 minutes. The mixture will still be warm, but will be the right temperature to ooze into the base without melting it.
* 👆🏻So what this step does is to help prevent getting a skin on top.
Pour and scrape the mixture into the biscuit-lined flan tin and put back in the fridge overnight. Don’t leave it longer than 24 hours, as the base will start to soften.
Take out of the fridge for 10 minutes before serving, but unmould straight away. Sit the flan tin on top of a large tin or jar and let the ring part fall away, then transfer the tart to a plate or board. Leave the tin base on. Garnish with fresh berries.
Slice modestly – this is rich and sweet, and people can always come back for more – and serve with crème fraîche; the sharpness is just right here. Leftovers will keep in the fridge for 4–5 days, but the base will soften and the sides crumble a bit.
Recipe Tips
I think the hit of salt is crucial: it subtly counters the richness of all the chocolate, so even if you don’t normally go in for the sweet and salty combo, don’t be tempted to leave it out. Halve the amount of salt, if you must.
