Chocolate ganache tart

1 Preheat oven to 180 degrees (fan), or equivalent. Grease a 20cm loose bottomed tart tin.

2 To make the pastry, sieve the flour into a bowl. Add the diced butter and rub into the flour with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Stir in icing sugar. With a dinner knife, work in the egg yolk then bring together to a firm dough (add a little water if it appears very dry to help the mixture come together). Shape into a flat disc. Wrap this in clingfilm and chill it for 20 minutes.

3 Roll the pastry out on a lightly floured work surface and use to line the greased tart tin. To bake the pastry blind, top the pastry with parchment paper and fill with baking beans (or uncooked rice or lentils). Place in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until the pastry is light golden in colour. Remove the beans and paper and set aside.

4 For the chocolate ganache, place the cream, butter and sugar in a saucepan, stirring them over a medium heat, to melt the ingredients. Remove the saucepan from the heat as soon as the mixture reaches a simmering point.

5 Place the chopped chocolate in a clean mixing bowl and pour the scalded cream mixture over the chocolate. Leave to settle for one minute, then stir continuously to combine the hot cream and chocolate until you have a smooth silky mixture. Set aside until the chocolate has cooled down.

6 Once it is cool, pour the chocolate ganache into the baked pastry shell.  Transfer to the refrigerator for two to three hours or until set.

7 An hour before serving, decorate the tart with fresh berries, toasted flaked almonds and mint. Serve with fruit coulis and or vanilla ice-cream.

Variation 
Smaller 10cm tartlet tins can also be used to create four individual tartlets.