Chocolate Raspberry Tarts (LF)

Chocolate Raspberry Tarts are little morsels of awesomeness! Topped with epic vegan raspberry jelly and filled with dairy free chocolate mousse you just have to go back for one more. Substitute the sweet short crust pastry (base) with a vegan alternative such as the base from my Chocolate Mousse Cake Recipe to make this an amazing vegan dessert.

Chocolate Raspberry Tarts

INGREDIENTS:

For Base:
1 2/3 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup sugar
10 tbsp dairy-free margarine
1 tsp vanilla
2 tsp water
2 egg yolks

For Filling:
350g silken tofu
350g vegan chocolate chips
1 tsp vanilla essence

For Raspberry Jelly:
1 cup raspberries
1/4 cup water
4 tbsp sugar
1 tsp agar agar powder

METHOD:

Turn on oven to bake at 180 degrees celcius

For Base:
Put flour, salt and sugar into a bowl.
Add margarine and rub until mixture is like breadcrumbs.
Add vanilla, water and egg yolks.
Mix together and knead into a soft smooth ball of dough.
Place in fridge for at least 15 minutes.
Roll out pastry to about 2-3mm thickness.
Cut circles out of the pastry to line the holes in a mini-muffin tray.
Bake blind for 8 minutes. Remove baking blind material and bake for 1 minute.
Remove from oven tray and set aside to cool.
Continue to bake pastry cups until pastry is used up.

For Filling:
Place tofu and vanilla essence into a blender or food processor.
Over a double boiler, melt chocolate.
Add melted chocolate to blender and quickly start whizzing the mixture until smooth.
Spoon into the cooled bases.

Place into fridge for at least 2 hours or until set.

For the Jelly:
Put raspberries and water into a small saucepan.
Mash the raspberries into the water with a fork.
Add the sugar and bring to the boil.
Add agar agar powder and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
Place a non-stick silicon mat into a large flat bottomed tray (such as a swiss roll tin).
Pour raspberry jelly mixture onto mat and refrigerate overnight or until set.
Cut small shapes from the jelly and layer over the set chocolate tarts - I used a square cutter and two jelly layers to give the tarts some height.

Makes 48 bite-sized tarts.

Quick Tips:
- I don't have a double boiler so to melt the chocolate I use a glass or metal bowl on top of a saucepan of boiling water - just need to be careful of the steam, I often wear an oven glove on the hand holding the bowl.
 - You can also use a microwave to melt the chocolate by microwaving in stints of no more than 20 seconds at a time (often much less once heated through), stirring in between each stint.
 - Make sure you start whizzing the filling mixture as soon as the melted chocolate has been added because the chocolate will start cooling and solidifying as soon as you add it.

Enjoy!

Genoise with Raspberries & Cream (LF)

Genoise filled with rasperries and cream is a delicious dessert. It's lactose-free and awesomely delicious. Genoise is just a fancy sponge so have a go, make one and try it for yourself!

Genoise with Raspberries & Cream

INGREDIENTS:
For the genoise:
40g margarine, melted
4 size 6 eggs
125g caster sugar
125g flour
1tsp vanilla essence
zest of 1 lemon
400g raspberries


For soy creme patissiere
450ml soy milk
55g caster sugar
55g cornflour
3 size 6 eggs

METHOD:

For the creme patissiere:
Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.
Pour into a saucepan and heat over a medium heat until thick.
Transfer to a bowl, cover with baking paper to prevent a skim forming then place in the fridge to cool.
Once cold, fold in 75g raspberries.

For genoise:
Preheat oven to 180 degrees celcius.
Gease a 20cm springform pan or 4 mini springform pans
In a heatproof bowl over a pot of boiling water, whick together eggs and sugar.
Keep whisking until mixture expand to 5 times in volume and the whisk leaves a trail when lifted.
Remove from the heat and whisk for another minute.
Fold in sifted flour, vanilla, lemon zest and melted margarine into mixture
Put mixture into cake tin(s).
Bake for 25 minutes until top is springy and light golden brown. A skewer should come out clean.
Leave cake to cool in tin for 5 minutes then turn out onto a wire rack.
When cake is cold, cut horizontally to give three layers of cake.
Place bottom layer on a serving plate; spread a layer of creme patissiere on top.
Repeat layering then decorate with fresh raspberries and a dusting of icing sugar.

Enjoy!

Just desserts here

Raspberry Frangipane Tart (Possible LF)

Raspberry Frangipane Tart is sweet, tart and full of fruit. I made this one for a dinner party as the dessert after a delicious roast chicken; it went down well. I even made separate mini lactose-free ones for my partner - to do the same replace the butter with margarine and milk with soy milk and it tastes just as fantastic!

Raspberry Frangipane Tart

INGREDIENTS:

For the pastry:
125g sugar
155g butter
40mL milk
270g flour
1 tsp baking powder
1tsp salt


For the filling:
180g butter, softened
180g icing sugar
180g ground almonds
70g flour
1 size 6 egg

For the tart:
300g frozen raspberries, thawed
1/2 cup apricot jam

METHOD:
For the pastry:
Beat sugar and butter together until light and fluffy.
Add milk, flour, baking powder and salt and mix until combined.
Wrap in pastic wrap and refrigerated for at least 30 minutes.

For the filling:
Beat butter, icing sugar, almonds and flour until well combined.
Add the egg and mix until combined.
Set aside.
Gently simmer the apricot jam with 4 tablespoons of water for 5 minutes, remove from heat and set aside.

For the tart:
Preheat oven to 170 degrees celcius.
Roll out pastry to 4mm thick and line a 24 cm loose-bottom tart tin.
Spread filling into pastry.
Place raspberries evenly over the top of the filling.
Bake for 25 minutes or until golden.
Allow to cool before removing tart from its tin.
Glaze with apricot jam mixture.

Serve with vanilla ice cream and berries.

Enjoy!

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Mango Charlotte Recipe (can be (GF))

Mango Charlotte is an impressive looking dessert that is matched in its delicious-ness; especially when served with Raspberry Coulis. I used store bought sponge fingers here to save time but you can make your own (a recipe for gluten-free sponge fingers can be found by clicking here). Any italian meringue mix will do but the recipe I used can be found by clicking here.

Mango Charlotte

INGREDIENTS:
2 packets of sponge fingers ( x45)
200ml whipping cream
120g italian meringue
100g mango flesh, diced

For mango creme anglaise:
35ml milk
200ml mango puree
1/2 lime, juiced
3 egg yolks
20g caster sugar
1.5 sheets gelatine

For topping:
1/2 mango, sliced
blueberries or raspberries

METHOD:

For Creme Anglaise:
Put milk, mango puree and lime juice into a saucepan, slowly bring to the boil
Soften gelatine in a covering of cold water for 5 minutes.
Whisk egg yolks and sugar in a bowl to a ribbon consistency.
As soon as milk mixture comes to the boil, pour into egg yolks whilst whisking. Pout mixture back into saucepan.
Cook over low heat whilst stirring until it coats the back of the spoon and reached 85 degrees celcius.
Drain gelatine, squeeze out excess water and add to the mix, stirring to dissolve.
Allow to cool to 10 - 15 degrees celcius.

For base/crust:
Trim about 1cm off one side of enough sponge fingers to line the outside of a 20cm diameter springform or loose bottom tin (sugar side out).
Line the bottom of the tin with sponge fingers too; cutting them to fit into the gaps.

Mango Charlotte Base

In a large bowl, whip the cream to a ribbon consistency.
Add the italian meringue, using a whisk to combine without overworking.
Fold in mango creme anglaise until evenly combined.
Fold in the diced mango then spoon half the mixture into the sponge finger base.
Arrange another layer of sponge fingers then the remaining mango mixture.

Refrigerate for 4 hours or 2 hours in the freezer.

Aarrange slices of mango and fresh blueberries or raspberries on top just prior to serving.

Serve with raspberry couli on the side.

Enjoy!

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Chocolate and Raspberry Tart Recipe

This Chocolate and Raspberry tart is a rich and decadant dessert. I suggest serving this with fresh fruit on the side to help 'cut through' the richness. The biggest challenge is definitely making and rolling the pasrty out but I've blogged previously on the recipe I use and how to make the process of making Pate Sablee more bearble. (see Pate Sablee Post Here) Enjoy!

Chocolate and Raspberry Tart - Presented with all its glory

I used 70% cocoa solids chocolate but anything from 45% to 74% can be used. Depends on what you like I guess. If using frozen raspberries, make sure they are well defrosted to prevent the pastry getting all soggy.

INGREDIENTS
280g Pate Sablee (see Pate Sablee Post Here)
200g fresh raspberries (or frozen ones, defrosted and well-drained)
250mL whipping cream
200g dark chocolate, in small pieces
25g liquid glucose
50g butter, in small pieces

METHOD:
Roll out pastry to ~3mm thick and use it to line a 22cm tart tin. Put onto a baking tray and place in fridge for 20 minutes.
Preheat oven to 190 degrees celcius, prick pastry base and bake blind for 20 minutes. Remove baking blind material, lower oven to 180 degrees celcius and bake for another 5 minutes.
Transfer to a wire rack and leave until cool enough to handle then lift off tart ring.
When cold, arrange raspberries in the pasrty case.
Bring cream slowly to the boil on a medium heat. Remove from the heat and add chocolate. Use a whisk to mix it in.
Add the glucose, and when smooth, add the butter a little at a time.
Pour mixture over raspberries to fill pastry case. Leave to cool then chill in fridge for at least 2 hours, before serving.
Use a very sharp knife dipped in hot water to cut the tart, wiping between each slice.
This tart is best cut straight out of the fridge but best served once it has rested for 5-10 minutes at room temperature.

Serve with a dollap of cream and fresh fruit on the side.

Enjoy!

A tart in the making

One finished tart

The first piece