White Chocolate Truffle Tart
Serves 12-16 Ready in 3 hours
Chocolate pastry
1 egg yolk
3 tbsp fresh cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
1¼ cups plain flour
2 tbsp cacao powder
¾ cup brown sugar
150g salted butter, diced
Truffle filling
250g white chocolate, finely chopped
1½ cups fresh cream
135g mascarpone cheese
20g fresh summer truffle,
shaved
1-2 tbsp Grand Marnier
½ tsp salt
To finish
shaved white chocolate and
shaved summer truffle candied orange zest
Preheat the oven to 185ºC. Lightly grease a 26cm tart tin.
Pastry: Whisk together the egg yolk, cream and vanilla extract in a small bowl. Sift the flour and cacao powder into a large bowl or mixer. Add the brown sugar and stir through well. Make a well in the centre. Tip in the butter and mix with your fingertips (or blend) to rub in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Pour over the egg mixture and use a blunt butter knife to cut through the mixture until it clumps together. Work quickly for a smooth pastry, be careful not to over-mix. Shape the pastry into a round disc, cover and refrigerate for 20 minutes until firm enough to roll out.
Place a large piece of waxed paper on the bench. Add the chilled pastry, break up then remould into a disc. Sprinkle the paper with a little flour then roll out the pastry evenly to an approximately 28cm-diameter circle.
Take the paper with the pastry on top and carefully tip it over to fall on top of the greased tart tin. The pastry will naturally fall into the base – use fingertips to gently press the pastry into the tin. Rest the pastry in the fridge for 15 minutes. Retain the baking paper to use to blind bake the base.
Prick the pastry base with a fork prior to putting baking paper on top. Scatter baking beans or dried legumes on top of the paper to weigh it down, using enough to cover the base. Bake in the centre of the oven for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and carefully take paper full of beans away. Prick any puffed-up pastry bubbles then return to the oven for 5-10 minutes until the pastry is cooked and springs back when touched.
Filling: Place the chocolate in a bowl. Heat the cream in a small pot until very hot but do not let it boil. Pour hot cream over the chocolate and stir until combined. Let it cool.
Put the mascarpone in a bowl, add the liqueur and, using a micro plane, grate the truffle directly on top of the mascarpone mix. Add the mascarpone mix to the chocolate cream mixture and stir gently to combine. Transfer to the crispy cooled chocolate tart base. Leave to set in the fridge for 2 hours.
To serve, scatter over shaved white chocolate curls. Finish with finely shaved truffle. Sprinkle a little candied orange zest around the edges of the tart. Slice in small servings as it is very rich. g