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Dark Chocolate Tart with Honeycomb and Pistachio Meringues by Chef Shane Smith
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Dark Chocolate Tart with Honeycomb and Pistachio Meringues by Chef Shane Smith

This velvety smooth dark chocolate tart has a truffle like interior and the jewel encrusted toppings on this crown guarantee’s to be one of the chicest tarts you will come across this summer.

Makes 1 rectangular tart (14″ x 5″)

Ingredients:

Sweet pastry
– 250g butter
– 250g caster sugar
– 2 eggs
– 500g plain flour

Chocolate filling
– 625g dark chocolate 55%
– 320ml single cream

Honeycomb
– 200g caster sugar
– 20ml water
– 50ml Irish honey
– 2 teaspoons bread soda

Pistachio meringues
– 40g egg white
– 40g caster sugar
– 40g icing sugar
– 4g cornflour
– 15g chopped pistachio

Method:

To make the sweet pastry:

1. Cream the butter and sugar together until pale in colour.
2. Gradually add the eggs, combine.
3. Finally, add the flour. Do not over mix at this stage.
4. Turn the mix out onto a floured surface, gently knead to form a ball.
5. Wrap in cling and chill for a minimum of 30 minutes.
6. When rested, return to the floured surface and roll out.
7. Grease and flour your tart tin and carefully cover with the rolled out pastry. Chill for 25 minutes.
8. Line the tart shell’s with parchment and fill with baking beans and bind bake in a pre-heated oven at 165ºC for 8-10 minutes, remove the baking beans and return the tart to the oven for a further 4-5 minutes to finish baking or until golden brown.
9. Set aside to cool.

To make the chocolate filling:

1. Heat the cream and pour over the chopped chocolate and set to one side.
2. Leave for 10 minutes and stir until smooth.

To make the honeycomb:

1. In a pot gently heat the water, sugar and honey until it starts to turn a light golden brown colour.
2. Carefully whisk in the bread soda. Please take care at this stage as the honeycomb with bubble up and double in size.
3. Pour out onto a greased tray and allow to cool.

To make the pistachio meringues:

1. In a clean dry bowl, whisk the room temperature egg whites on full speed until double in size.
2. Gradually add the caster sugar until thick and glossy.
3. Finally add the icing sugar and cornflour and mix for a further minute or two.
4. Spoon the meringue into a piping bag and pipe the meringue onto a lined tray.
5. Sprinkle with pistachios and place these in the centre of the oven and bake at 95ºC for 35 minutes.

To assemble the tart:

1. Spoon the chocolate ganache filling into the pre-baked tart shell and chill for one hour.
2. Before you serve, top with honeycomb, pistachio, basil sprigs and fresh raspberries.
3. Leave the tart out at room temperature for 30 minutes before you serve!

RECIPE BY SHANE SMITH OF FALLON AND BYRNE

Dine in Dublin Shane Smith from Lavey in Co. Cavan has extensive national and  international experience within the Hotel, Restaurant and Confectionery  industry. He started working as a chef at the age of 16 and trained in  Killybegs Tourism College, Donegal.

He has worked with some of the most talented chefs in Ireland and  abroad where he gained the experience to run many pastry sections in  high end establishments, including Knockranny House hotel Westport,  The 5* G Hotel in Galway and currently Head Pastry Chef over the Fallon and Byrne group in Dublin.

Shane is also the In-House Chef for Coole Swan Irish Liquor, doing recipe research and development & to date has published six cookery books with the company.

Most recently Shane has demoed in John Lewis in London and was picked as one of the top 5 chefs in Dublin to demo and cook for the launch of “Dine in Dublin”.

Shane has also recently featured in the Sunday Business Post, Image magazine and has a monthly recipe column in the Anglo Celt newspaper in his home town of Cavan.

ShaneSmith   ShaneSmith
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