Saturday 28 January 2012

Chocolate and Orange Tart

Sorry for the lack of posts recently, I'm not back at uni and swamped with work so have been running around like a headless chicken (actually, I wish. I have been sat at my desk buried in my notes like a bookworm). This is probably why it's taken me about a week to write this post. I keep writing a bit, going back to do some homework, coming back to this, and then wondering what on earth I was on about...




What am I wondering about? Chocolate, probably. So much in fact that I googled: 'how much chocolate does it take to kill a human?'

Google says: "Those massive bars of cadburys dairy milk are 200g - so approx 31 of those would have a 50% chance of killing you of theobromine poisoning if you are of average weight." 

31?!?!! That is some serious breakup you will have had to go through to eat that much chocolate, surely?

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I baked this just before I came to uni (because now that I am back I have no oven again), and it was from the Green and Black's cookbook! Therefore I only have 5 recipes left to make! It's taken me 4 years to get this far, but I've been making them at an exponentially declining (mathmos, is this right???) rate. It may well be 201243345 before I finish the cookbook.

(Well, I'll be dead by then, but you get my drift).

However, you can make this Seville orange and chocolate tart now! Seville oranges are in season in February (apparently) so uh, I'm guessing they'll have lots of offers on it in Sainsbury's, if that helps... 

:)

Also, who has been watching 'How To Cook Like Heston'?. I watched a few before I came to uni, and the episode with chocolate he put coins in the tart base when blind baking it to ensure it cooked from the top and bottom, like so:


So I decided to try it out for you to see if it worked. The idea is that the metal conducts heat so it cooks the pastry right at the source, it makes it crispier and probably cooks faster too.

I didn't really have a 'control group' (i.e. pastry base without the pennies in it) to compare but I think it was crispier. You are also supposed to pour the filling in to the tart whilst it is still in the oven but my filling is just poured in a left to cool so I didn't test that out. (Though it would have been useful for my chocolate crusted lemon tart - and yes, that link it there so you check it out, muahaha.)

Either way, you can be like 'I cook like Heston! I cook like HESTON BLUMENTHAL! So you just HAVE to eat it. Chop chop'.

But the funniest thing about this is that I didn't have enough coins in my purse so asked my mum for some. She reluctantly handed my her pennies, gave me a very stern look and pointed at the 1p and 2p coins I was now holding:

"Don't eat them!!"

Thanks for that, mum. I'm glad one of us has some common sense ;)


Moorish Chocolate and Orange Tart
Adapted from the Green & Black’s cookbook

Cuts into 12 small slices, or 6 big ones (fatty :p)
Takes: a while

Pastry
200g (6oz.) Plain Flour
40g (1 ½ oz.) Caster Sugar
90g (3 oz.) Butter, chilled.
Grated Zest of 1 seville orange
2 Tablespoons Water

Filling
200g (2 oz.) Dark Chocolate (75% cocoa solids is perfect)
250ml (9oz.) Cream
5 Large Egg Yolks
90g (3 oz.) Caster Sugar
The Juice of the grated orange

Cut the butter into dice and process with the flour and orange zest in a food processor (or rub in by hand) until it resembles breadcrumbs. Bind with the water and rest in a fridge for 30mts.

Roll out the pastry to line an 20cm ( 8”) tart tin. Use a fork and stab the bottom of the pastry a few times (this will stop it from puffing up).
Cover this with parchment and coins and bake blind at 190C (175C if fan oven),375F, Gas 5 for 20 minutes.

Take off the paper and continue cooking for a further 10 mins until the pastry is golden. Leave to cool.

Break up the chocolate and put it with the cream in a bowl over a pot of barely simmering water. Stir occasionally until the chocolate melts.

Beat the egg yolks and the sugar together until light and thick.
Take the melted chocolate off the saucepan and stir in the egg mixture.

Now put this bowl back on the pot and stir over the simmering water until it thickens.

Now stir in the orange juice and stir for another 4 minutes over the heat. Pour this into the cooled pastry shell and chill for 3 hours to set.

Served with whipped cream if you like! It is quite dark and intense.




p.s. Happy Chinese New Year! Sorry I'm almost a week late, but I hope you had a good new years for those of you that celebrated! 

22 comments:

  1. Looks very moreish indeed! Love the idea of the coins - handy if you dont have any baking beans. Do you know how it differs from using baking beans?

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    1. Thank you! Yes it would be. It conducts heat so the idea is that is heats the pastry up faster and the heat right on top of the pastry is meant to be crispier :)

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  2. The coins are a good idea. Although I image I would be like you and not have enough change to try it!

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  3. This looks delicious - I love the combination of chocolate and orange. The perfect treat when you are swamped with work!

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  4. Hi Xinmei, your chocolate & orange tart looks delicious. I don't mind to have a big slice. LOL
    Wish you all the best in dragon year.

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  5. Great looking pie, interesting combination, must taste good huh! Hope you are still having fun ushering in the year of the dragon:)

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  6. I'm always fascinated by the combination of orange and chocolate. This tart looks delicious!

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  7. I love this tart it looks delish! How creative to use coins for baking the pie crust, I had always used dried beans, but I now know what to use when I run out of beans lol. Thanks for sharing, great photos and recipe. My fiance and I were laughing at the "how much chocolate does it take to kill a human" question and answer lol Thanks for making us smile Xinmei, have a fabulous day =]

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  8. Tart Looks lovely and delicious.
    Re comment on lacey pancakes, you can pour batter in a zip lock bag , cut a tiny hole in the corner and it will work just as well. :)

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  9. That looks delicious! And I think Heston's tip is cool :) Must try it sometime... And I too must remember not to eat the coins :) Nice post, Xinmei!

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  10. looks great! Your photography is nice, a delicious looking tart!

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  11. Pleased your Mum told you not to eat the coins! A beautiful tart for all of us who aren't on a diet.

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  12. I too have been buried in work. I totally feel your pain! This tart looks delish! We recently launched our all new Seasonalpotluck.com and February is oranges month! If you'd like to link up your recipe, we'd love to have you! http://bit.ly/zDoNfx

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  13. haha i like your mum's advice ;) i want to cook like heston too...hopefully we will get that show here soon!

    great looking tart...orange + choc is such a delicious addictive combo! hope you're going well with the studies!

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  14. Its a great idea to combine the chocolate with the seville oranges. I've only tried one or two recipes out of the green and blacks cookbook, so you'll beat me to the end by a long way!

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  15. Xinmei, this tart is stunning! What a beautiful dessert and a creative combination of flavors. I can tell you worked hard on it, but the recipe seems relatively simple. Thanks for sharing! Have a great weekend.

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  16. Oh Xinmei, it's not just chocolate we need a dose of - it's your humour! You also made the penny (or 2pennies!) drop on the crust. Great idea and far better use of loose change than carting it around in a heavyweight handbag! Super tart. Boy, it's amazing what you can google! LOL.
    Good luck with all your work. I didn't want to stress you on that guest post, you know. Sounds like you have more than enough on your plate right now. Take care, J.

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  17. I saw that trick and I'll give it a go the next time! I should really try the control one as well but I don't know if I'll get the chance to :D The tart looks delicious :)

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  18. It look super fantastic and I bet it tastes good too. Great tip on using coins instead of baking beans. I have coins from time to time, but never baking beans ;-)

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  19. OOOH Nice trick! I will definitely try this next time as I'm becoming a little disillusioned with my beans. :)

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