serves
10
difficulty
Mid
serves
10
people
difficulty
Mid
level
Ingredients
- 50 g dark chocolate (80% cocoa solids), chopped
- 75 g unsalted butter, chopped, softened
- 200 g (2 cups) walnuts
- 100 g firmly packed brown sugar
- 100 g ground almonds
- 60 ml (¼ cup) whisky
- 2 egg whites
- 1 egg
- lightly whipped cream, to serve
Sweet shortcrust pastry
- 160 g unsalted butter, chopped, slightly softened
- 120 g (¾ cup) icing sugar, sifted
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 250 g (1⅓ cups) plain flour, sifted
- 2 egg yolks
Instructions
To make pastry, process butter with icing sugar and vanilla in a food processor until combined. Add flour, in 3 batches, and process until mixture is crumbly. Add egg yolks and process until combined. Turn out onto a work surface and knead until mixture comes together. Shape into a disc, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 40 minutes or until firm but still soft enough to be rolled.
Roll out dough between 2 sheets of baking paper until 4mm thick and use to line the base and side of a 28cm round tart pan or cast-iron frying pan. Freeze for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 200°C. Cover pastry with baking paper and top with pastry weights, rice or dried beans. Bake for 10 minutes, then remove baking paper and weights, and bake for a further 8 minutes or until pastry is light golden. Set aside to cool. Reduce oven to 180°C.
Meanwhile, place chocolate and butter in a small heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and stir until chocolate melts (don’t let the bowl touch the water). Process 100g walnuts in a food processor until finely ground. Transfer to a bowl, add sugar and ground almonds, and stir to combine. Stir in whisky, egg whites and extra egg, then stir in chocolate mixture and pour into pastry case. Using a spatula, smooth surface, then scatter with remaining 100g walnuts.
Bake for 10 minutes or until just set. Set aside to cool completely before removing from pan. Serve at room temperature with a dollop of whipped cream.
As seen in Feast magazine, Issue 9, pg44.
Photography by Alan Benson.
Cook's Notes
Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.
