Decadent Chocolate Berry Tart

FOR THE CHOCOLATE SHORTCRUST PASTRY: Place the flour, almonds, cocoa, butter, sugar and salt into a large, clean bowl.

Rub the butter into the flour mix with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs, working as quickly as possible to prevent the dough becoming warm.

Add the egg, 1tbsp water to the mixture. Using a cold knife, stir until the dough binds together. Add more cold water a table spoon at a time if the mixture is too dry

Wrap the dough in cling film (plastic wrap) and chill for a 30 minutes.

WHEN PASTRY IS CHILLED, preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas Mark 4.

Roll out the shortcrust pastry until it is slightly larger than your chosen size loose-bottomed tart tin (mine was 25cm diameter). Line it making sure you press down the corners and let some pastry over hang the edges of the tin.

Prick the pastry all over with a fork, and place back in the fridge for 15 minutes or so.

Now line the pastry case with greaseproof paper and fill it with rice or ceramic beans. Place in the oven and bake for 20 minutes.

Remove the greaseproof paper and rice or beans, then return the tart to the oven and bake for a further 5 minutes.

Take pasty out of the oven and trim the edges by cutting it off with serrated knife along the top edge of the tin. Leave to cool completely in the tin.

RASPBERRY JELLY FILLING

Pour 80ml of cold water and powdered gelatine in a small bowl and let it stay to bloom.

Prepare pastry ring (smaller in diameter than your tart tin) by lining it with cling film and set aside.

In the meantime, take medium size sauce pan and pour your berries, juice of lemon and water in it. Switch on the hob and simmer on a medium heat until berries will start to break down. You might want to squish them a bit with a fork or potato masher. Give it a taste, if too sour- add some maple or agave syrup.

Strain the berries through fine sieve pressing them down to get all the juices out. Pour back in the pan and reduce the heat to a minimum until the juice starts to simmer. Add bloomed gelatine and heat again stirring well till it melts. Take off the heat.

Chop the remaining berries and skater them on the bottom of lined ring and pour the gelatine over.

Place the jelly in the fridge to set until you get the next steps ready.

CHOCOLATE GANAGE FILLING

In a bowl, lightly whisk the eggs together. In a medium saucepan, bring the cream and milk, salt and coffee (if using) just to the boil, then slowly pour onto the eggs, whisking as you do. It’s important that the cream and milk mixture is boiling hot when you add it to the eggs as this will partially cook them and help to set the mixture.

Now add the chocolate chips and stir together until melted and smooth.

Pour one third of the ganache on the bottom of your cooled pastry shell, using palette knife or back of the spoon spread it evenly.

Take jelly which been setting in the fridge, remove it from the mould and gently place in the middle of the tart on top of the ganache. Now pour the remaining chocolate mix over and nicely smooth the top. Pop the tart (still in the tin) in the fridge and let it set over night.

When ready to serve, remove it from the tin, place on the serving plate, top it with shaven chocolate and cacao nibs together with some berries.

Little tip: before cutting the tart, run the knife under hot water dry it and then slice. That how chocolate will be easier to cut.