Name: Red wine pear and chocolate tart
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 95 min
Yield: 12 - 16
Ingredients: 200 gm softened unsalted butter; 110 gm (½ cup) each caster sugar and brown sugar; 3 eggs; 200 gm chopped dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids), melted and cooled slightly; 250 gm hazelnut meal; 50 gm (⅓ cup) plain flour; 40 ml Grand Marnier; 2 tbsp Dutch-process cocoa, sifted; Crème fraîche and coarsely chopped roasted hazelnuts, to serve; Chocolate pastry; 300 gm (2 cups) plain flour; 90 gm pure icing sugar; 45 gm Dutch-process cocoa, sifted; 150 gm cold unsalted butter, diced; 3 egg yolks; Red wine pears; 750 ml (3 cups) red wine; 440 gm (2 cups) caster sugar; Thinly peeled rind and juice of 1 orange and 1 lemon; 5 cm piece ginger, thinly sliced; 3 cinnamon quills; 3 star anise; 6 small firm but ripe pears, peeled, halved, cores removed with a melon baller

Dark chocolate, pears and red wine are a match made in heaven – rich and decadent, without being overly sweet. The wine lends a gentle tannic edge that keeps the richness in check. Finished with a dollop of crème fraîche and roasted hazelnuts for the ultimate dessert.

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Ingredients

200 gm softened unsalted butter

110 gm (½ cup) each caster sugar and brown sugar

3 eggs

200 gm chopped dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids), melted and cooled slightly

250 gm hazelnut meal

50 gm (⅓ cup) plain flour

40 ml Grand Marnier

2 tbsp Dutch-process cocoa, sifted

Crème fraîche and coarsely chopped roasted hazelnuts, to serve

Chocolate pastry

300 gm (2 cups) plain flour

90 gm pure icing sugar

45 gm Dutch-process cocoa, sifted

150 gm cold unsalted butter, diced

3 egg yolks

Red wine pears

750 ml (3 cups) red wine

440 gm (2 cups) caster sugar

Thinly peeled rind and juice of 1 orange and 1 lemon

5 cm piece ginger, thinly sliced

3 cinnamon quills

3 star anise

6 small firm but ripe pears, peeled, halved, cores removed with a melon baller

Method

For chocolate pastry, process flour, icing sugar, cocoa and ½ tsp salt in a food processor until combined. Add butter; process until mixture resembles fine crumbs. Add egg yolks and 1 tbsp iced water and process to combine. Turn onto a lightly floured work surface, gently bring pastry together with the heel of your hand and form into a disc. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour to rest.

For red wine pears, stir wine, sugar, rinds, juices, ginger, spices and 500ml water in a saucepan over medium-high heat until sugar dissolves. Bring to a simmer, add pears and weight with a plate to keep pears submerged in poaching liquid. Reduce heat to low and simmer until just tender (20-30 minutes). Remove from heat. Cool pears in syrup.

Simmer 750ml poaching liquid in a saucepan over medium-high heat until reduced to a syrup (15-20 minutes). Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

Roll out pastry on a lightly floured surface to 2-3mm thick. Ease pastry into a 28cm-diameter loose-bottomed tart tin, then trim edges. Refrigerate for 1 hour until firm.

Preheat oven to 180°C. Meanwhile, beat butter and sugars in an electric mixer until light and fluffy (4-5 minutes). Scrape down the sides of bowl, then add eggs, one at time, beating well between each addition. Add chocolate, hazelnut meal, flour, Grand Marnier, cocoa and ½ tsp salt flakes and beat until just combined. Spread evenly in

Thinly slice half the pears vertically, leaving top intact. Fan the pears and arrange on top of chocolate frangipane. Bake until just set (45-50 minutes). Stand for 30 minutes.

Serve tart warm or at room temperature with crème fraîche, red wine syrup, remaining pears and roasted hazelnuts