Chocolate Rhubarb & Raspberry Tart

Dessert people, you bright elusive things. Looking for something that combines the delicate taste gymnastics of chocolate and rhubarb? Pleased to meet you. Welcome to the glittering sequin mines of this chocolate rhubarb and raspberry tart. It’s soufflé-ish, sinful and so definitely full of chocolatey goodness. It is a fitting choice for this week's Daily Life Column to celebrate World Chocolate Day on 7^th of July – a truly wonderful event that is one big chocolate harvest, and one that makes it completely ok to eat your favourite chocolate in ample portions. Genius.

Ingredients

Pastry

2 tbsp dutch cocoa powder

100g icing sugar

300g plain, low-protein flour

pinch of salt

250g butter, cubed, cold

2 egg yolks

50g dark chocolate, melted

Filling

1 rhubarb stalk, chopped into matchbox size pieces

225g dark couveture chocolate

112g unsalted butter, chopped

3 egg yolks

2 eggs

75g caster sugar + 2 tbsp

1/2 cup fresh raspberries

Method

Preheat the oven to 180C. Grease and line a long 30cm x 10cm fluted pastry tin and set aside.

To make the pastry sift the cocoa powder, icing sugar, flour and pinch of salt into a bowl. Add the cubed butter and rub in until a course crumb consistency is achieved. Add the egg yolks one at a time until just combined. Fold in the dark chocolate then turn out onto a clean work surface and bring together with your hands into a ball, it will be a little sticky. Enclose in plastic wrap and rest in the fridge for 30 minutes. While the pastry is resting, place the chopped rhubarb in a baking tray and sprinkle over the 2 tbsp caster sugar. Add about a cup of water and place in the oven to gently poach for 30 minutes. Remove and allow to cool in the liquid.

Working quickly, roll out the pastry and gently press into the fluted pastry tin and trim the edges. Rest for 20 minutes. Blind bake in the oven for 10 minutes then set aside.

For the filling, add the chocolate and butter to a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water until the chocolate has melted. Remove from heat and allow to cool, reserving the saucepan of water. Add the eggs, yolks and sugar to another heatproof bowl over the saucepan of water, turn the heat to low and whisk constantly until the mixture is nice and thick and holds the lines of the whisk if you run it through the mixture (ribbon stage).

Remove from heat and gradually whisk through the chocolate mixture. Gently stir through the raspberries. Pour the mixture into the tart shell and place the pieces of rhubarb on top. Return to the oven and bake for 20 – 30 minutes until firm to the touch but still a touch gooey. Remove and allow to cool completely before slicing.