This is not a Christmas tart for everybody.
This is a Christmas tart for grown ups only…
Deliciously heavy chocolate base, deepened with intense coffee taste and lightly contrasted with vanilla whipped cream and delicious dried red cranberries, sweetened and soaked in vanilla sirup… This is the perfect dessert to end a fabulous dinner.
The original recipe serves 12, but I have made the tart in a smaller form serving 8 people, and have re-used the remaining tart ingredients arranging in delicious tall crystal glasses dessert variation to serve at another festive occasion.
The recipe is slightly altered from the Delicious Magazine.
For example, I have mixed dark chocolate and milk chocolate for the base. Dark chocolate, plus coffee would have been too heavy for me. In addition, I have added a touch of Christmas flavour to the cake, by adding dried cranberries.
Ingredients
- 250g digestive biscuits
- 2 tbsp cocoa powder
- 125g butter, melted
- 2 egg yolks
- 100g caster sugar
- 1 tbsp cornflour
- 600ml milk
- 3 gelatine leaves
- 200g dark chocolate, about 70% cocoa solids
- 150g milk chocolate
- 2 tbsp finely ground espresso coffee grains
- 284ml carton double cream
- 100g sugar
- 100g dried cranberries, to decorate
- 1tbsp Vanilla flavoured Sirop De Monin
Method
1. Put the digestive biscuits in a large plastic bag and crush them up with a rolling pin until they resemble breadcrumbs. Place them in a bowl and stir in the cocoa powder and melted butter. Mix well. Press and shape the mixture on to the base and sides of a 20cm round springform cake tin. Chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
2. Mix together the egg yolks, caster sugar, cornflour and 4 tablespoons of milk. Put aside. Soak the gelatine leaves in a little cold water for about 10 minutes until softened.
3. Heat the remaining milk in a saucepan over a low heat. Break both the chocolates into pieces, then add to the milk with the espresso grains, stirring until the chocolate has melted. Remove from the heat, then stir into the egg mixture. Return the mixture to the pan over a low heat and stir constantly until thickened and smooth.
4. Drain off the gelatine leaves and squeeze out the excess water. Then add to the hot custard, stirring until the gelatine has dissolved. Cool for 15 minutes, then pour into the biscuit base. Allow to cool, then chill for 3-4 hours or until set.
5. Soak half of the dried cranberries in the Vanilla sirop for at least two hours. Scatter generously on top of the chocolate base of the tart.
6. Whip the cream until thick, adding 100g sugar and a few droplets of Vanilla sirup. Spoon on top of the tart and decorate with the remaining dried cranberries.
