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Rachel Roddy’s recipe for dark chocolate and orange tart

This festive tribute, in tart form, to the Terry’s Chocolate Orange makes for a showstopping dessert


Chocolate and orange zest are two of the more complex flavours whose compatibility is simple. For lovers of Terry’s Dark Chocolate Orange, this is her richer, darker, more luxurious cousin, in tart form. I think it’s a star pudding. The key to the pastry is chilling it properly, and the key to the filling is chopping the chocolate finely and beating vigorously; if it seizes, add a little more milk and beat like mad. The addition of shaved candied orange as a decoration is a nod to the bright orange foil used by Terry’s, which is as much a part of (my) Christmas as Quality Street. You will need a 25cm tart tin, ideally one with a loose base.

Dark chocolate and orange tart

Related: Cocktail of the week: Mere’s butter wash bourbon – recipe

Prep 30 min
Rest 2 hr
Cook 15 min
Serves 8-15

For the pastry
120g cold butter
250g plain flour
100g icing sugar
Grated zest of 1 unwaxed orange
2 egg yolks

For the filling
300g mascarpone
40g
caster sugar
Grated zest of 2 unwaxed oranges
400g dark chocolate
, finely chopped
80g unsalted butter
100ml whole milk
Candied orange
, thinly sliced, to decorate (optional)

Rub the butter into the flour with your fingertips until it resembles breadcrumbs, then mix in the icing sugar and orange zest. Add the egg yolks and bring everything together, very cautiously adding cold water by the tablespoon and only as needed, to make a firm dough. Wrap and chill for at least an hour.

You have two options for lining the tart tin. Roll the pastry into a circle on greaseproof paper, invert into the tin and press into place; or cut the pastry into slices and jigsaw them into the tin, again pressing the pastry into place (especially the edges), then trim. (Use any scraps for thumb jam tarts.) Rest in the fridge for another hour.

Prick the pastry all over with a fork and bake blind at 180C (160C fan)/350F/gas 4 for 14-16 minutes, until nicely golden and cooked through. Remove and leave to cool.

Make the filling by warming the mascarpone, sugar and orange zest until the mix is almost, but not quite boiling, then pull off the heat, add the chopped chocolate and diced butter, and beat vigorously, until smooth. Add the milk, beat again, then pour the filling into the cooled tart case and leave to cool completely. You could, if you want, decorate with thinly sliced candied orange before cutting and serving.

Fiona Beckett’s drinks match You need something to play on the orange here. That could be an orange liqueur such as Grand Marnier (widely available, 40%), which would be delicious, but if you’d prefer a dessert wine, a passito di Pantelleria from just off Sicilyor JM Fonseca Alambre Moscatel de Setubal 2012 (£7.99 a half-bottle Waitrose, 17.5%) would tick the boxes.