Money Saving Recipes: Chocolate Tarts with Raspberries and Muscat Syrup

These decadent looking chocolate tarts may look expensive, however they’re made with relatively low cost raw ingredients. While we’ve dressed up our tarts with small garnishes of edible gold leaf, this visual element can be exchanged for toppings of baby herb leaves, for example mint or basil. The muscat syrup can be made with some older wine stock, and keeps well in a refrigerator. It’s also makes for a great adults only ice cream topping.

Chocolate Tarts with Raspberries and Muscat Syrup

Makes eight 12cm fluted tarts

Chocolate Shortcrust Pastry

2 cups (300g) plain flour
¹⁄₃ cup (35g) cocoa
½ cup (110g) caster sugar
180g cold unsalted butter, cubed
Pinch of salt
2 eggs

Method

Preheat oven to 220C

1. Combine flour, cocoa, sugar, butter and salt in food processor. Pulse until the mix resembles breadcrumbs.

2. Add eggs, one at a time, pulsing further. Do not over mix.

3. Turn dough out onto clean bench, and form into a ball. Wrap in plastic film and refrigerate for 15 minutes (minimum), ideally 2 hours, or overnight.

4. Roll out dough on a floured surface and place into tart/pie shells if making small individual pies, or line one large shell.

5. Blind bake for 15 minutes. Cool to room temperature.

Chocolate Filling

300g dark chocolate, melted
150ml cream
150ml milk
¼ cup muscat wine
1 vanilla pod, split
2 eggs, lightly beaten

Method

Preheat oven to 180C

1. Heat milk and cream (with split vanilla pod and muscat) until just before a simmer, add melted chocolate and still until well combined.

2. Remove from heat and quickly stir in eggs and mix until well combined.

3. Pour filling into chocolate shortcrust bases and bake for approximately 10 minutes (individual pies) or 15 minutes (large pie). Cool completely before adding glaze.

Chocolate Glaze

4 tbsp cream
100g dark chocolate
2 tsp light corn syrup
2 tbsp warm water

Method

1. Bring cream to the boil, remove from heat, add chocolate and mix well.

2. Continue working away form the heat and quickly add corn syrup and water and stir to combine. Pour over chilled tart, leave to set for 1 hour.

Note: The pie bases can be made ahead of time without adding the glaze. Make and add the glaze 1 to 2 hours before serving.

Muscat Syrup

¾ cup Muscat wine (if don’t mind parting with it!)
½ cup, plus two tbsp, of brown sugar
4 shaved strips fresh lemon zest

Method

1. Stir wine, sugar, lemon zest and ¼ cup water in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 20 minutes.

2. Pour syrup through a sieve into a jar, discarding the lemon zest.

3.Cool completely in refrigerator before serving.