If so, then this is the tart for you.
Yes, it looks mightily impressive, and tastes even better. Even though there are a few steps involved, it is actually ridiculously easy to prepare: Especially if you have a food processor to take the hard work out of the pastry. If you don't have a food processor just rub the butter into the sifted ingredients using your fingers.
Do make sure you have plenty of time up your sleeve though. You need to wait for the pastry to chill, bake, chill, then for each layer of ganache to set. Ideally, you want to prepare this the night or morning before you want to eat it.
Ingredients (serves 12-16):
Pastry
- 1 1/2 cups of plain flour
- 1/4 cup cocoa
- 1/4 cup of icing sugar
- 180 grams cold butter, diced
- 1 egg yolk (reserve white for brushing)
- 3 tbsp chilled water
- greaseproof paper
- baking beads or rice
White chocolate ganache
- 200 g white chocolate
- 100 ml cream
- 2 tsp peppermint essence
Dark chocolate ganache
- 200 g good quality dark chocolate - Whittaker's 72% is perfect for this
- 140 ml cream
- 3 tsp peppermint essence
Step 1: Make Pastry
Sieve flour, cocoa and icing sugar together. Put into your food processor with the diced butter and pulse for a few minutes till all of the butter is mixed in and it becomes a breadcrumb texture.
Next add the egg yolk and chilled water. Pulse again. When it begins to come together, tip out onto a lightly floured board and lightly knead until you have a smooth dough.
Flatten into a 15cm disc. Cover in cling film and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Pastry is much easier to work with when it is cold.
Step 2: Bake Pastry
Preheat oven to 180 degrees celcius. Grease a 30cm loose-based fluted tart tin with butter.
Remove pastry from the fridge and roll out on a piece of greaseproof paper large enough to fit the tart tin.
Gently lay the pastry over the tin and press into the edges. Use the rolling pin to roll across the top of the tin to cut off any excess pastry.
Place the greaseproof paper over the pastry and fill the tin with baking beads or uncooked rice (less than a kilo of rice will fill it - reserve the rice afterwards for using again the next time you bake pastry). This holds the pastry in place and stops it both puffing up and from sinking down the sides. Chill again for 10 minutes.
Place in the hot oven and bake for 15 minutes.
Remove tart from oven and take off the baking paper and rice. Return to the oven for another 15 minutes to finish cooking through.
Remove from the oven and leave to cool.
Step 3: White Chocolate Ganache
Once cooled, you can make the white chocolate ganache. In a small saucepan, gently heat the 100ml of cream. Just as it begins to boil, remove it from the heat and add the white chocolate. Leave it to sit for a few minutes. Then stir till all of the chocolate is melted in and you have a smooth mixture. Add 2 tsp of peppermint essence.
Once cooled to nearly room temperature, pour into the pastry tilt to spread evenly. Leave it in the fridge, uncovered, to chill for an hour or two. I left it overnight and finished it off the next day. If you want to smooth it more, wait till it is completely chilled first. Then heat a large metal spoon in a glass of boiling water. Dry the spoon off (make sure it is dry - water and chocolate are not friends) and use the back of it to gently smooth out any rough areas of chocolate.
Step 4: Dark Chocolate Ganache
Make the dark chocolate ganache, as you did with the white chocolate ganache, heat the 140ml cream to nearly boiling point. Add the chopped chocolate and leave for two minutes. Stir till smooth. Add peppermint essence. Once cooled pour over the white chocolate ganache. Leave in the refrigerator to set for 2 hours.
Step 5: Share and Devour
Remove the tart from the fridge 15-30 minutes before serving. Fill a mug with boiling water and heat a small sharp knife in the water. Dry the knife on a clean cloth and gently cut small wedges of the tart, reheating the knife as required.
Heating the knife will give you clean cuts and avoid the chocolate cracking.
Depending how decadent you are feeling you'll easily get 12 - 16 slices out of this tart as it's rather rich.
Serve with lightly whipped cream if desired.
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