No-bake salted chocolate tart with frosted berries

Here’s a mathematical food equation for all the clever people. What is the product of the following: Biscuits + butter + sugar + cream + chocolate + vanilla = ____________________  Yes, I realise this is rather difficult for some, so to make it a little easier, I’ve decided to go with multiple choice.

a. Hedonistic pleasure
b. Feelings of euphoric delight
c. Minimal effort, maxed out result
d. Party on a plate dessert
e. Near-death chocolatey, happiness
f. All of the above

Good news, there is no right or wrong. All of the above is where we’re headed with this no-bake muscovado cream and salted chocolate tart. And it only requires 6 ingredients! If you’ve been following my baking pages, you’ll have noticed that 6 ingredient recipes aren’t my usual modus operandi, but I was asked by the inimitable Nina Timm from http://my easy cooking.com  to come up with a recipe that has only a handful of ingredients for her Thursday food slot on RSG. http://www.rsg.co.za. Here, all things food are discussed and shared with her listeners. Nina’s reputable skills and food knowledge has resulted in her blog being one of the most read in South Africa, with trusted and simple recipes being key elements.

A tail spin followed in the Bibby kitchen as less isn’t necessarily more ’round here. Desperation usually throws me headlong into a chocolate frenzy, which as we all know doesn’t alleviate or dispel hurdles, but will help you to feel more or less happy about negotiating your way around said challenges. Hence, this sultry temptress of a tart. Oh yes, I find elasticated pants very helpful for the day after………

There are a couple of points to consider. When using so few ingredients, it’s really important to choose only the best quality products as the flavours cannot be masked under fluff or fancy. I’d recommend salted butter, best quality dark chocolate (min 70% cocoa solids for both cocoa content and depth of flavour) and no ‘skinny’ cream, which would prevent the chocolate from setting properly. To give the chocolate ganache filling a caramel-toffee like flavour, I’ve used a treacly muscovado sugar. Demerera or dark brown sugar will also work. Lastly, try to select firm seasonal berries. For this recipe I place the berries on a small baking sheet and pop them in the freezer for several hours to firm up. Once you pile them onto the tart, they will turn pale and frosty. If you’re going to use the frosted fruits, please bear in mind that as they defrost, the fruit will become soft and slightly watery and so it’s best to eat the whole tart immediately, not on you own, of course. Get some help! Alternatively, just use fresh berries as they’ll keep longer and refrigerate well. For a contrasting tang, I like to serve this tart with a berry coulis or a strained compote.

No-bake salted chocolate tart with frosted berries

Serves 10-12

250 g shortbread or digestive biscuits (Bakers tennis or Eat Sum More)
80g butter, melted
70g muscovado sugar
3/4 cup single cream
300g dark Lindt chocolate, chopped (70% )
1 teaspoon vanilla paste or extract
a generous pinch Maldon sea salt flakes (salt isn’t really an ingredient, so we’ll call it free)
200g frosted berries (fresh will also be perfectly fine)

Place the biscuits in a food processor and blitz until fine. Add the melted butter and pulse again to combine. Empty the crumbs into a 32cm length rectangular, loose bottom tart case. Press the crumbs firmly into the tin with the back of a spoon and smooth over evenly. Refrigerate to firm up.

For the filling, place the muscovado sugar and cream in a small saucepan. Bring the cream slowly up to the boil, whisking all the while to ensure the sugar crystals dissolve completely. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla paste. Pour the cream over the chopped chocolate and whisk thoroughly until the chocolate is silky smooth. Fill the chilled tart case with the chocolate mixture and refrigerate for several hours until firm.

Un-mould the tart and place on a long serving board. Scatter with the sea salt if you love a salty-sweet combo and pile on the frosted fruit.

BK Handy hint : The chocolate tart filling also makes the most luxurious truffles. Pour the warm ganache into a bowl, cool, cover with cling and refrigerate until set. Roll into tiny truffles, dust with cocoa and allow to firm up. Serve with after dinner coffees or package as a hostess gift.

PS On the hunt for a rich, dark healthy truffle? These coconut cream chocolate truffles are h.e.a.v.e.n.l.y (only 3 ingredients here!)