Chocolate Raspberry Tart

With the party season fast approaching it's always a good opportunity to add one or two more recipes to ones arsenal, particularly when such recipes are not only entirely delicious, but simple to prepare. This chocolate tart is an impressive beast, with a shortbread pastry, super-indulgent white chocolate filling and the tart tickle of fresh berries, drizzled with bittersweet dark chocolate. However, as sophisticated as it may sound I promise you this one is so very easy to make, requiring but a few simple processes and techniques. So if you're looking for a truly bombastic beauty to serve to friends and family why not give this one a try? I can assure you it will be well worth the effort!

Prep time: 30 Mins (Plus some chilling time)
Baking time: 30 Mins
For the pastry
125g Unsalted Butter (Cut into cubes)
200g Plain Flour
2tbsp Cocoa Powder
65g Caster Sugar
1 Egg Yolk
2tsp Cold Water

For the filling
500g Chopped White Chocolate (With vanilla if you can)
280ml Double Cream
500g Fresh Raspberries
A few squares of Dark Chocolate (Melted)

And away hay hay we go! In a large bowl rub together the butter and flour. Add the cocoa powder, sugar and egg yolk, then trickle in the cold water. With a flat bladed knife, start the mixture going, then get your hands in there and bring together to a smooth, dark dough. Wrap in cling film and place in the fridge for 15-20 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 190C/375F/Gas 5 and lightly grease a 26cm deep tart or flan tin. Take the pastry out of the fridge and roll out to a big round, on a lightly floured surface. Carefully slide into your prepared tin and and gently press to the edges. Leave a border of at least 1-2cm around the edge, making sure there are no splits or cracks. Line with baking paper, fill with baking beans, place on a flat baking tray and bake in the centre of the oven for around 20 minutes. Carefully remove the paper and beans, then return to the oven for a further 10 minutes, just to dry out the base. Place on a wire rack, still in the tray and leave to cool completely. Once cool you can trim the edge of the pastry with a very sharp knife to give a nice and tidy edge.

When the pastry shell is cool you can prepare the filling. Sit a large heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water. Add the white chocolate and cream to the bowl and let the steam from the water slowly melt them together, stirring occasionally. Don't let the water touch the base of the bowl if you can. Once the cream and white chocolate is smooth and sexy remove from the heat, then pour into your prepared tin. Leave to cool until room temperature, then place in a sealed container in the fridge. After an hour remove from the fridge and scatter over the fresh raspberries. They may sink very slightly into the chocolate filling but I think this adds to the charm. Drizzle over the melted dark chocolate and return to the fridge for a further few hours to set entirely.

Once set carefully remove from the tin and that's it, you're all ready to serve. Good work.