Chocolate Dessert that DID turn out!

This, I am proud to say, is something I made!

To quote my friend Mikarla, it "looks like a chocolate bathtub!"
This, obviously, is a very chocolatey chocolate tart, and it was delicious. Not overwhelmingly chocolatey, but still rich & lovely, and very, very smooth.

I find tarts make a great dessert, because you can do so much of it ahead of time, reducing one's stress in the hour or so before guests arrive. They also look impressive . . . yes, I have an ego, who knew! The first couple I ever made were a little hit & miss, but I have started to develop a knack for them, and pies. My pastry making is developing nicely.

Pastry-Making Tips:Gluten is the enemy of good pastry

1) Care must be taken to blend the butter (or whatever fat agent you are using) & the flour together before adding any liquid. This ensures the flour granules are sufficiently coated with fat to inhibit water absorption, making it less likely for the gluten to develop.

2) On the other hand, overmixing releases the gluten, allowing them to create long strands that toughen the pastry. Always pulse in the food processor till the mix resembles breadcrumbs, and then stop!

3) Chill the pastry in the fridge. If the fat melts before it reaches a high enough temperature (e.g. before it goes into an oven of 180'c) you won't get a lovely leavened (crumbly) pastry: when the fat melts the water in it separates & the layers in the mix will all stick together, creating, in other words, tough pastry.

4) Chilling the pastry also allows the gluten's to relax, which means that your pastry shouldn't shrink (too much) when you bake it.

5) I find the best shape to chill the pastry in is a flattened disk. I have seen some recipes that say 'roll into a ball & chill'. I find the ball shape very hard to roll out: it has a tendency to crack, meaning I have to mush the whole thing back together, which means the pastry is getting worked more than ideal, potentially leading to tougher pastry. You don't want something like a fist. You want something like the open palm of your hand.

Anth's Chocolate "Bathtub" Tart

Chocolate Pastry Shell
200gm plain flour
60gm icing sugar, sifter
30gm good quality cocoa powder, sifted
100gm cold butter, coarsely chopped
2 egg yolks
enough iced water to form a ball (if necessary - depending on the eggs you may not need to add any)

Creamy Chocolate Filling
300ml pouring cream
300gm chocolate chopped
100gm chocolate, min 60% cocoa, chopped

1) For chocolate pastry, process flour, icing sugar and cocoa in a food processor until combined. Add butter, process until mixture resembles fine crumbs, then add egg yolks, process to combine. Add iced water if needs be, a little at a time. Turn onto a lightly floured work surface and bring pastry together with the heel of your hand. Wrap in plastic wrap, refrigerate for 1 hour to rest.

2) Preheat oven to 180c. Roll out pastry on a lightly floured surface to 3mm thick and line a 28cm-diameter loose-bottomed tart tin, trimming edges if you prefer; as you can see from the pictures, I prefer a more rustic look. Refrigerate for 1 hour, then blind bake for 8-10 minutes, remove paper and weights (either baking weights, or dried pulses, or rice works as well) and bake until dry and crisp (8-10 minutes).

3) Bring cream to the simmer in a small saucepan over medium heat, add chocolate, stir until smooth, remove from heat, allow to cool a little, then chill in the fridge w/ a clean tea-towel over the top (clingwrap will collect the condensation, which could drop back onto the chocolate. Chocolate + water don't mix). Once cooled, but still just runny, pour into the pasty shell & then return to the fridge to set.