Rich velvety dark chocolate tart with sweet shortcrust pastry and fresh strawberries. This tart can be made a day in advance. 

This recipe makes enough pastry for 2 tarts, freeze half and save for another day.

RICH DARK CHOCOLATE TART 

Makes a 28cm tart

INGREDIENTS

SWEET SHORTCRUST PASTRY
125 grams butter, chilled
230 grams plain flour
40 grams icing sugar
2 egg yolks
Pinch of salt

CHOCOLATE FILLING
290 grams butter
400 grams dark chocolate (I used 50%)
3 eggs
2 egg yolks
1/2 caster sugar

1 punnet of strawberries
Dark Cocoa
Cream (optional)

METHOD

In a food processor, blitz all pastry ingredients until you have a soft dough. If dough is still crumbly add 1 tablespoon of cold water and blitz again. Turn out on to a lightly floured bench and bring together. Divide dough into two and place one half in the freezer for another day and wrap the other in grease proof paper and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Remove dough from fridge and let soften for 10 - 15 minutes. Roll pastry out between two sheets of grease proof paper until dough is around 3mm thick. Line tart tin with pastry, prick small holes in the pastry with a fork and trim edges. Refrigerate for 20 minutes. Preheat oven to 180°C. 

Place a sheet of baking paper over the pastry and fill with pastry weights or you can use baking beans or rice. Bake for 10 minutes, then remove pastry weights and baking paper and bake for another 18 minutes and then remove from oven and let cool completely in the tin.

Melt butter and chocolate in a large bowl over a pot of simmering water. Make sure the base of the bowl isn't touching the water. Then set aside. 

Place the eggs and sugar in a bowl and whisk continuously for 5 minutes over a pot of simmering water. Sugar should dissolve and eggs should double in size. Add half the melted chocolate and combine. Then fold through remaining chocolate. Pour into pastry case carefully place back into oven. Bake for a further 10 minutes. There should still be a slight wobble in the centre. Once cool, place in the refrigerator to help it set completely. 

Dust with cocoa powder and decorate with strawberries. I like to serve this tart with cream.