Fabulous Chocolate and Pear Tart with Frangelico Cream

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Chocolate, pear and nutty cream is a great combination – a little decadence along with some fruit. You’ll never feel guilty after this one… and if you only have a little slice, there may be room for another small sliver!

Prep Time: 40 min + 2/3 hr resting time

Cook time: 60 minutes

Serves: 8

Ingredients

125 g butter, diced
75 g caster sugar
1 egg yolk, + 3 tbsp water
250 g flour
1 egg, lightly beaten
410 g tin pears in juice, drained

150 ml milk
50 ml thickened cream
200 g dark chocolate
1 egg yolk
1 tbsp cocoa powder

150 ml thickened cream
2 tbsp icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence
100 ml Frangelico

Instructions

For your pastry, in a large bowl or using a processor, cream together the butter and sugar until pale, light and creamy.

Pop in your egg yolk and stir in the flour with a little water. Knead until it begins to take shape and you have the beginning of your dough. Slowly work in the rest of the water. Keep kneading until you have a soft but not sticky dough.

Wrap your pastry in plastic food wrap and rest it in the fridge for 2 – 3 hours.

Preheat your oven to 180. Lightly grease a 20cm loose-bottomed tart tin. Unwrap your pastry, roll out to about 3mm thickness and carefully line your tin with the pastry, ensuring you get the pastry into the edges and of the tin. Take your rolling pin and roll over the edges of the tart to remove any excess pastry. Line with baking paper and pour in your baking beans, spreading them out so they cover the bottom of the tart. Place on a baking tray and blind bake for about 5 – 10 minutes.

Take the tart from the oven, remove the paper and baking beans, brush the tart case with a little beaten egg and return to the oven for another 7 minutes. Remove your flan from the oven then turn the gas down to 100c.

To make your filling, pour the milk and cream into a pan and bring to a soft boil. Add the chocolate and mix in the egg yolk whisking all the time. Then remove from the heat and allow to cool for about 5 minutes. By now your tart case should be completely cool, take your drained pears, and arrange in the base of your flan. Pour your chocolate mixture over the pears and return the flan to the oven for 40 minutes – or until set.

When cool, dust with cocoa powder and remove flan from the tin. Serve with Frangelico cream.

CREAM : Whip together the cream, icing sugar, vanilla essence and Frangelico, till you get soft peaks. Serve with wedges of your tart!