I doubt there are more than a handful of restaurants in the Western world that don’t have at least one chocolate dessert on their menus. This is one of my favourites, with the rich and luscious chocolate filling contrasting brilliantly with the slight tartness of raspberries. Although you could cheat and buy ready-made pastry, it’s worth taking the time to make your own – this dessert deserves the best!

Chocolate tart filling
Combine the chocolate and butter in a bowl over a pan of simmering water or in a double boiler. Stir until the mixture has melted to a smooth consistency.

In another bowl or double boiler, whisk together the eggs and sugar until the mixture thickens to a pale creamy sabayon. Add the chocolate to the sabayon and stir through to combine thoroughly. Gently fold in the sifted flour then pour the mixture into a clean container and allow to cool.

Raspberry caramel
Defrost and drain the rasberries of all liquid if frozen. Stir the sugar and water in a saucepan and heat gently until the sugar dissolves. Cook until the syrup colours and starts to caramelise. Add the raspberries and cook for a few minutes until the raspberries start to break down. Remove from the heat and allow to cool a little. Purée until smooth, and strain through a sieve to remove the seeds.

Sweet pastry
Place the butter and sugar in an electric mixer and cream until smooth. Split the vanilla bean in half lengthwise and scrape out the seeds with the tip of a knife. Add the vanilla seeds to the creamed mixture and mix in well. Add the egg and combine well, and then the flour and salt. Mix until the pastry comes together as a ball. Tip it out of the mixer and mix – do not knead – the pastry by hand for a few minutes until it is smooth. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for half an hour.

Preheat the oven to 160ºC (325ºF). Lay the pastry on a floured work surface. Use your hands to roll the pastry into a sausage and cut into 6 even pieces. Next, use a rolling pin to roll each piece of pastry into a circle about 2 mm (1⁄8 in) thick. Lift each piece of pastry onto a well-greased 9 cm (31⁄2 in) tart ring and blind-bake for 10–12 minutes, or until the pastry is golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow the pastry shells to cool in the tart rings.

To serve
Preheat the oven to 180ºC (350ºF). Divide the chocolate mixture between the 6 tart shells and bake for around 8 minutes, or until just set. Remove the tarts from the oven and allow them to cool slightly before serving – the filling should be slightly fudgy in the middle.

Spoon the raspberry caramel onto each plate and carefully remove each tart from its ring and place a tart on top. Finish with a generous dollop of cream.


Recipe from Contemporary Australian Food by Teage Ezard with photographs by Ned Meldrum. Published by Hardie Grant Books.