Chocolate Orange Tart

Ingredients

• 1 large egg yolk
• 200g plain flour
• 40g icing sugar
• ¼ tsp fine salt
• 120g unsalted butter, cold and cubed
• 25g cocoa powder
• 30g ground almonds
• 300ml double cream
• 300g dark chocolate, roughly chopped
• Zest and juice of 2 oranges
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• Pinch flaked sea salt, to finish (optional)

Method

1. Rub the cold cubed butter into the flour, cocoa, ground almonds, icing sugar and salt until the mix looks like fine, dark crumbs with no visible lumps of butter.
2. Add the egg yolk and 1–2 tbsp cold water and bring together into a dough — handle it lightly, just until it clumps. Press into a disc, wrap and chill for 20 minutes.
3. Heat the oven to 190°C fan/210°C/Gas 6. Roll the pastry on a lightly floured surface to about 3mm thick and line a 23cm tart tin with a removable base, easing it into the corners. Trim the edges and chill for another 10 minutes.
4. Line with baking parchment and baking beans, then blind-bake for 12 minutes. Lift out the beans and parchment and bake a further 8 minutes, until the base looks dry and matte and the edges are set firm.
5. While the case is still warm, warm the cream with the orange zest and juice in a small pan until it just trembles at the edges — don't let it boil. Pour over the chopped chocolate, leave for a full minute, then stir slowly from the centre outwards until you have a glossy, thick ganache. Stir in the vanilla.
6. Pour the ganache into the warm tart case and level gently with a spatula or by tapping the tin on the worktop. Rest at room temperature for 30 minutes, then chill for 1–2 hours until sliceable but still supple to the touch.
7. Bring the tart back to room temperature for 15–20 minutes before serving so the ganache turns glossy and melt-in-the-mouth.