This month we turned to our friend, the remarkable chef Jay Geddes. Jay exceeded our expectations with this coffee chocolate tart, a sophisticated coffee dessert featuring a buttery pastry crust, a rich, coffee-infused chocolate filling, and a cloud of Chantilly cream to top it off in sweet style.
Use the best ingredients you can find, such as real vanilla beans, Belgian dark chocolate and your favourite kind of Difference Coffee. Geddes states that you can buy pre-made pastry for this dish – he recommends all-butter sweet pastry tartlets – but offers ingredients and instructions to make the crust from scratch too.
Jay is a proponent of the slow food movement, and we hope his wonderful recipe inspires you emulate his mindful approach to making high-quality food at home. Spend some time in the kitchen making this Coffee Chocolate Tart recipe and, of course, enjoying the results.
INGREDIENTS THE TART (SERVES 6)
125ml single fresh cream
2 tbsp golden caster sugar
125g Belgian dark chocolate, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons of Jamaica Blue Mountain coffee
PASTRY FOR TARTS
350g plain flour pinch salt
125g unsalted butter, flattened out in between two sheets of greaseproof paper to
1cm/½in thick, chilled in the fridge
125g caster sugar
2 free-range eggs, whole and 1 egg, yolk only
1 egg, yolk only, beaten for egg-wash
CHANTILLY CREAM
1 vanilla bean
2 cup heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons superfine sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
METHOD
THE TART
Gently heat the cream and the sugar in a small pan. Once the cream has been brought to a simmer, remove from the heat and add the chopped chocolate. Let the chocolate melt for 1 minute, then stir until smooth.
Add the coffee to the pan and stir to combine. Pour the chocolate mixture into a jug, then carefully pour into the pastry cases. 6 ready-made all butter sweet pastry tartlets or make from scratch (recipe below)
PASTRY FOR TARTS
For the sweet pastry, preheat the oven to 190C/350F/Gas 5. Lightly grease and flour 12 x 8cm loose bottomed tins.
Stir the flour and salt together in a large mixing bowl. Add the flattened butter straight from the fridge into the flour and rub in the mixture.
Add the sugar, mix together the eggs and egg yolk, and to the mixture. Gently mix with a dough scraper, or spatula, until the dough comes together in a ball.
Lightly flour a work surface, tip the pastry ball out onto it, and knead until you have a smooth soft dough. Shape the pastry into a square, to make it easier to roll out.
Place the dough the fridge to chill for an hour minimum, preferably overnight.
Remove the pastry from the fridge and lightly flour a work surface. Roll out the pastry 2-3mm thick and line the 12 tins, leaving an overhang of pastry. Place some greaseproof paper over the top and fill with baking beans. Rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Once chilled, place the pastry tart cases on a baking sheet and cook for 15 minutes. Lift out the paper and beans, brush with beaten egg yolk, and place back in the oven for 8 minutes.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 15 minutes. Then trim the edges and lift out onto a cooling rack.
CHANTILLY CREAM
Split vanilla bean lengthwise with the tip of a sharp knife. Holding the pod open, scrape seeds from each half using the flat side of the knife. Transfer seeds to a large bowl; discard pod.
Pour heavy cream over vanilla seeds. Add sugar and vanilla extract. Whip with an electric mixer until soft peaks form, 3 to 5 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and chill until serving.
