Chocolate Pastry
This is a good basic chocolate pastry recipe you can use to make berry tartlets, caramel tart or all sorts of other indulgent creations. Always sift the icing sugar before adding it to the pastry, as any little lumps will show up bright white in the chocolate crust.
Makes 1 x 23cm pastry shell
Ingredients
- 200g plain flour
- ¼ cup baking cocoa
- ½ cup icing sugar, sifted
- 150g cold butter, cubed
- 1 egg yolk
- 2 tbsp approx. iced water
Method
Preheat the oven to 180˚C. Grease and lightly dust a 23cm loose-bottom flan tin with flour.
In a bowl or food processor combine the flour, cocoa and icing sugar. Add the cubed butter and either rub it in with your fingertips or pulse until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
Mix in the egg yolk and water and stir or pulse until the mixture holds together when squeezed.
On a floured surface, roll the pastry out to a circle big enough to line your flan tin – place the tin on top of the pastry to see if you have allowed for the base and sides. Use a rolling pin to lift the pastry and gently place it in the tin. Press it firmly into the sides and base, and leave the excess pastry hanging over the edges till the first stage of baking. Prick the base with a fork and chill for 20 minutes.
Line the base with greaseproof paper and fill it with baking beans or pastry weights. Blind bake the pastry for 10 minutes, then remove the paper and baking weights. Use a sharp knife to trim the excess pastry from around the rim and bake the empty shell for a further 10 minutes, then add the filling and bake for as long as required.
