Chocolate Raspberry Tart | Mother’s Day 2020

Mother’s day 2019 is a day I remember well. What’s stuck in my head was that there were no reservations to be had in any decent restaurants (worth paying for). Surely, you would have expected that since it’s the most widely celebrated occasion of the calendar year. To get around that, I volunteered to cook while visiting my daughter. In the end, I whipped up a few dishes which turned out to be quite memorable. For some time thereafter, we’ve continued talking about that meal. Now we are approaching mother’s day 2020. Alas, there’s no getting around the fact that it’s the most unsettling in memory. One that I’d rather forget, but we can’t. Where are my hugs? In isolation and solidarity, I bake the chocolate raspberry tart to honor my aging mom — and all the wonderful mothers in our lives.

This is a rich and decadent chocolate tart by Yotam Ottolenghi. You need to use good dark chocolate because it’s the dominant ingredient in full display. Underneath the chocolate layer is the raspberry jam and above that, you guess it — another layer with cocoa powder. If you’re a chocolate lover, this is the ultimate tart, reserved for the special people in your life. Notably, the texture of the chocolate filling gets better the next day, once it’s thoroughly chilled.

The tart shell is a sable dough (or pâte sablée) using icing sugar instead of granulated sugar. As a result, the texture is more refined and light. I like it a lot except it can be tricky to handle. But I can assure you, there isn’t anything you can’t handle. With a little patience as you chill and warm the dough between rollings, it should be fine. If all else fails, treat it like a press dough (by pressing pieces of dough along the contour of the mold). No worry, the taste won’t be compromised. In addition, use parchment paper liberally to prevent the dough from sticking. You’ll get a hang of it! It’s well worth the time and effort.

Print Recipe

Chocolate Raspberry Tart

Ingredients

• FOR THE PASTRY:
• 180g unsalted butter, chilled
• 300g cake flour
• 90g icing sugar
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1 egg yolk
• Melted butter for brushing the tin
• FOR THE JAM:
• 100g raspberries
• 30g sugar
• 2 star anise
• FOR THE CHOCOLATE FILLING:
• 300g good quality dark chocolate
• 200g butter
• 2 egg yolks
• 2 eggs
• 60g sugar
• TO SERVE:
• Cocoa powder
• Raspberries

Instructions

1

First, the pastry. Dice the butter and mix with the flour, sugar and salt. Rub by hand, or in a mixer, until it has a coarse breadcrumb texture. Add the yolk and 30ml cold water and mix until the pastry comes together. Form into a round flat shape, wrap in clingfilm and chill for at least an hour. To make the raspberry jam, combine all the ingredients in a small saucepan, stir well and simmer on a low heat for about 10 minutes. Allow to cool, remove the star anise.

2

Preheat the oven to 160C/325F/gas mark 3. Brush a 22-cm / 9-inch tart case (one with a removable bottom) with melted butter. Roll out the pastry into a circle shape 2-3mm thick then line the tart case with it, leaving a 1cm overlap at the edge. Line with parchment paper, fill with dried beans or rice and bake for about 25 minutes. Remove the beans and the paper and continue baking for a further 15 minutes, until the base is a light golden colour.

3

For the filling, put the chocolate and butter together over a pan of hot water and allow to melt (don't let them get too hot). Whisk the eggs and extra yolks with the sugar until thick and pale yellow, then fold the egg mix into the melted chocolate. Spread the jam on the bottom of the pre-baked tart case. Cover with the chocolate filling - it should almost fill the case. Bake for 20 minutes. Leave to cool, then dust with the cocoa powder and place some raspberries on top. Serve at room temperature.

Notes

https://ottolenghi.co.uk/recipes/chocolate-raspberry-tart