SALTED CHOCOLATE AND LIQUORICE TART

I’ve always loved the flavour of liquorice, even as a child. This tart, for the most part, is an adult dessert, with flavours that are often too mature for younger palates.

The way to impart the liquorice into the filling is inspired by Nigella Lawson’s gorgeous liquorice pudding, from her book Nigellissima. It involves dissolving Calabrian liquorice lozenges in water. You can find them in good sweet shops or online. Serves 8-10 300g (10½oz) Bourbon biscuits 50g (1¾oz) unsalted butter 300g (10½oz) dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids) 1tsp pure liquorice lozenges 40ml (1½fl oz) water 300ml (10fl oz) single cream 75g (2¾oz) soft eating liquorice Sea salt flakes Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan 180°C/ gas 6 and lightly grease a 35cm x 12cm (14in x 4½in) tarte maison tin (a slim rectangular tart tin). In a food processor, blitz the biscuits and the butter to a finely ground rubble. Tip the mixture into the tin and press it onto the base and up the sides – it takes a little time to get this even and smooth, but keep at it. Bake for 15 minutes, just to dry it out a little, then allow to cool completely. For the filling, chop the chocolate and place it into a heatproof bowl, then set it to one side until needed. Put the lozenges into a saucepan with the water and bring to a boil. Stir to dissolve the lozenges then stir in the cream. Heat until the cream starts to bubble at the edges, then pour it over the chocolate in the bowl. Let the cream melt the chocolate for 30 seconds, then whisk to a smooth, glossy ganache. Pour the ganache into the tart tin and level out.

Chop the eating liquorice into irregular nuggets and scatter these over the tart. Finish with a sprinkling of salt, and chill for at least 4 hours before serving. NEXT WEEK: BRILLIANT BAKES FROM THIS YEAR’S SERIES