Ultimate Chocolate Tart

Equipment

Mascarpone Cream

Chocolate Pastry

Egg Wash

Liquorice Caramel

Baked Chocolate Filling

Chocolate Ganache

To Decorate

Mascarpone Cream

1. Add the chopped white chocolate into a tall jug along with the mascarpone. Set this to one side.
2. Into a small dish, stir together the gelatin and cold water. Let this bloom at room temperature for 10 minutes.
3. Add the cream into a small saucepan, place it on a medium heat and cook until it is steaming, then remove it from the heat and pour it over the chocolate.
4. Scoop the bloomed gelatin on top, and then allow the mixture to sit for 2 minutes.
5. Blend it until smooth with a hand blender,, then cover the surface with cling film and refrigerate it for 12 hours.

Chocolate Pastry

1. Into a large bowl (or the bowl of a stand mixer), add the cubed, cold butter and sift over the cocoa powder and icing/powdered sugar.
2. With a paddle attachment or with the beaters on a hand mixer, beat the butter and sugar for 2-3 minutes until it is evenly combined. Scrape down the mixture with a spatula twice during this time. 
3. While still beating the mixture, pour in the egg yolks and beat to combine. After about 30s, scrape down the bowl ensuring all the butter is scraped off the bottom of the bowl and then mix for another 30 seconds.
4. Add in the flour and salt, and mix on a very low speed, until the dry ingredients are just combined. Be careful not to overbeat the mixture, simply mix until no more flour is visible and the mixture is clumping together. It should take about 15 seconds. 
5. Scoop the dough out of the bowl and shape it into a rough disc. Wrap it in clingfilm and refrigerate for one hour.
6. Once chilled, remove it from the fridge and let it soften for a few minutes at room temperature so it feels cold but flexible. 
7. Flour your work surface and the dough and using a rolling to roll it into a large circle.
8. Lift the dough onto the perforated tray, lined with a perforated baking mat. Very lightly grease the perforated ring mold with soft butter, and press it into the dough, before peeling away the excess.
9. Gather the dough scraps and re-roll them to form strips for the tart walls. Use these strips to line the inside of the ring, pressing gently to seal them to the base. If the dough feels too soft to handle, chill it for 10-20 minutes in the fridge before re-rolling. Trim off any excess dough so the pastry is flush with the tart ring, then freeze it for 30 minutes.
10. Pre-heat the oven to 175C (non-fan assisted/160C fan assisted).
11. Place the chilled tart into the centre of the oven and bake for 25 minutes. Allow it to cool for a few minutes, before carefully removing the ring mold.
12. Whisk together the egg wash ingredients and use a pastry brush, to brush this over the entire tart, and then bake for a further 10 minutes. Remove the tart from the oven and allow it to cool for 30 minutes.

Liquorice Caramel

1. Into a saucepan add the liquorice syrup, milk, cream and 25g glucose. Place it over a medium heat, stirring occasionally until it is steaming. 
2. Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, cook the sugar and remaining glucose over a medium heat until it is a deep, dark caramel.
3. Deglaze the caramel with the hot milk mixture, whisking to combine.
4. Add in the butter, and salt and continue to cook for 1 minute. 
5. Remove it from the heat and pour it into a tall jug. Blend with a hand blender for 15 seconds to emulsify, then allow it to cool at room temperature for 15-30 minutes. 
6. Pour the cooled caramel into the tart shell and then place the entire tart into the fridge for 30 minutes.

Baked Chocolate Filling 

1. Pre-heat the oven to 160C (non-fan assisted/145C Fan)
2. Into a medium saucepan, add the cream and place it over a medium low heat. 
3. Meanwhile add the chopped chocolate and cubed butter into a tall measuring jug. 
4. Once the cream is steaming, pour it over the chocolate and allow it to sit for 2 minutes, then use a hand blender to blend until smooth.
5. Add in the eggs and yolks, and blend again. Finally stir in the salt.
6. Remove the tart from the fridge and pour the chocolate filling in, spreading it evenly to the edges with a spatula. Bake it for 30 minutes.
7. Remove it from the oven and allow it to cool at room temperature for 1-2 hours.

Chocolate Ganache 

1. Add the chopped chocolate into a tall measuring jug. Meanwhile add the cream to a small saucepan and place it over a medium heat until it is steaming.
2. Pour it over the chocolate and let it sit for 2 minutes. 
3. Blend it with a hand blender until smooth, avoiding adding any air bubbles. 
4. Pour the ganache on the top of the cooled tart, covering about ¾ then tilt the tart so it spreads to the edges. You may not need all of the ganache.
5. Let this set at room temperature for 2 hours, or refrigerate for 15 minutes.
6. Finish the tart by whisking the mascarpone cream in a stand mixer until it holds a medium peak. Add this into a piping bag fitted with a large round tip nozzle. 
7. Pipe a few kisses of cream over the top of the tart (you will have some cream leftover, so you can pipe more on top if you want!)
8. Add the Lakrids by Bülow Liquorice Balls and some tempered chocolate decorations, then serve.