Warm Chocolate Tart

~These are perfect for entertaining - chill the uncooked tarts until you're almost ready to serve, then quickly cook them. The only rule with these is to eat them straight from the oven while the centres are still gooey.~ (BBC Good Food Magazine)

The good thing is you can make this in advance, just tuck it into the oven from frozen and enjoy your dinner before the oven "ding". Hassle Free!

Serve the warm chocolate tart with some homemade oreo ice cream. Yummy!

Recipe for 4 x 10cm tart pans

For Shortcrust pastry:
220g plain flour
110g unsalted butter
20g sugar powder

pinch of salt
2 egg yolk + 2 tbsp cold water

For chocolate fillings:
200g dark chocolate, broken into pieces
2 tbsp double cream
1 tbsp brandy (optional)
2 large eggs, plus 1 yolk
50g caster sugar
85g almonds, chopped

1. Mix the eggs yolks with 2 tbsp cold water stir with a fork until well combine. Place the flour into the bowl of a food processor, followed by the cold butter and the salt.
2. Turn the processor on and pulse several times until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.Add the egg yolk/water mixture and pulse again. Be careful not to overwork the pastry. Stop pulsing when the mixture has the consistency of chunky breadcrumbs.
3. Turn the pastry out onto a clean, floured work surface and, with floured hands, bring together to make a dough, but don't knead. Shape into a flattened ball, wrap in cling film and refrigerate for about 30 minutes. You can keep the pastry at this stage for 2-3 days if not using it immediately.Remove the pastry from the fridge. On a clean, floured work surface, roll it out with a floured rolling pin until it's slightly larger than the flan ring. Using the rolling pin, lift the pastry and lay it over the flan ring.
4. With your fingers, lightly press the pastry into the sides of the ring. Run a rolling pin over the top of the ring and pull away the excess pastry at the edges. Using your fingers, gently press the pastry up to slightly build up the height of the pastry at the edges.
5. Line the tart with a piece of parchment and chill it for 20 minutes so it doesn't shrink when you cook it.
6. Heat the oven to 200'C. Add baking beans or rice and bake it for 15 minutes, then lift out the parchment and beans and cook for a further 5 minutes or until the pastry is dry and a good brown colour.
7. While the pastry is cooking, melt the chocolate, cream and alcohol, if using, in a heatproof bowl over a pan of barely simmering water.
8. Meanwhile, whisk the egg yolk and sugar until light and frothy. Briefly whisk the melted chocolate into the eggs and fold through most of the chopped nuts.
9. Divide the chocolate mixture between the cases and scatter with the remaining nuts. Uncooked tarts can now be frozen. Bake for 12 minutes or 20 minutes from frozen. The tops of the tarts will souffle up and they should still be soft in the middle. Serve with some berries, cream or ice cream. Enjoy!

A Note About Paneled Appliances

Kathy Passarette, over at Creative Home Expressions,
has a beautiful post with lots of great images of refrigerators blended into the cabinetry, mirrored, made to look like armoires, etc.

One thing to note about paneled appliances, typically dishwashers and refrigerators, is that eventually you will have to replace the appliance.

We HAD a paneled refrigerator until it died and we had to buy a new one.

Even though we bought the same make, size and configuration refrigerator, the panels would not fit and could not be re-used. A $1000 investment, useless and in the trash.

I LOVED those panels too >:-C

I actually kept them in the garage for months before I would let my husband dispose of them...And we are not keepers of "stuff".

Our cabinetry is stained wood. Perfectly matching old stained wood is difficult if not impossible. In a kitchen it has been exposed to all those vapors and such for years.

The cabinet company was no longer in business.

For all of the above, we now have an un-paneled refrigerator.

















Imagine if it was and armoire investment...With TASSELS no less.

A further note:

Refrigerators have been growing in height ever since I became a kitchen designer.

Back in the '80's they were no more than 69" high. Nowadays more like 72" high.

Sub-Zero is the only company that still makes their refrigerators the same height as in the '80's - 84" high.

That means the "built-in look" your designer so carefully tried to achieve with the cabinet over the top coming right down to the top of the fridge, won't allow you to install a new fridge without replacing that upper cabinet.

I learned my lesson on this issue years ago and started specifying a space above, with a removable valance to close the gap that could be easily trimmed.

In spite of what you are thinking about the longevity of your appliances when you plan your new kitchen; they are never going to last forever.

What a shame to have to tear out a perfectly good kitchen just to replace your armoire...oops - fridge. Kinda shows where we are as a society. Doesn't it?

Peggy

Q&A Where Can I Find Someone To Help Us Design A Kitchen And Bathroom?

Q.

We bought a cottage type place that has no kitchen in it at all and a bath with just a toilet and shower, we are having trouble figuring out what to do that would look good.

Is there a virtual site that we can go to or someone that can design something that won't cost a fortune for them to plan something?

A.

You need a kitchen and bath designer with demonstrated talent and experience in space-planning.

The fact that there is no kitchen at all, also means that you will have to bring electrical and possibly gas to the area. That means services that are (likely) not in the house will need to be brought there.

Depending upon where you are located, there may also be requirements and codes that need to be met to install a kitchen.

The fact is: In some locales, you may even need an architect to plan your new kitchen.

I suggest the first thing to do is to go to your local building department with jurisdiction, explain your situation, and ask them what they require (They won't follow you home. Don't worry).

I'm afraid we designers don't come cheap, let alone free. But you will find that the right designer will save you far more than you spend on the design portion of your project. There are scores of products that go into every kitchen and bath. Saving money on each of them saves a lot. Designers know what works and what doesn't, what's a waste of money and a bargain.

There is nothing more costly than doing a project and finding that you hate it so much that you have to do it again.

Cost from my office: = Around $1000-1800 for a bare bones concept to take to IKEA, if you wish; up to $3-5000 for complete documents to submit for building permits.

Some charge more or less. I can only say what my fees usually are, and these are generalities since I charge by the hour.

A designer never knows how decisive a given client is going to be going in. A client who is very clear about what they like and don't like, and very decisive, is very likely to spend less on design services that a client who waffles and wavers about every decision and has to feel their way or see something before they know what they like.

The latter client will be just as happy with the results, but take a lot longer getting there and thus spend more money.

Peggy