Chocolate and Pear tart

My husband really has a big sweet tooth and chocolate is definitely one of his weaknesses! I chose to make something extra scrumptious for father's day and thought this combination of dark chocolate and juicy pears would most certainly go down a treat with the whole family.

Chocolate and Pear tart

for the pastry:

175grams plain flour
100grams cold butter, cubed
25grams icing sugar
1 egg yolk
1tbsp cold water

(the original recipe uses ready-made shortcrust pastry, which is great if you're pressed for time or unsure of making your own)

filling:

2 large eggs
125grams ground almonds
125grams butter, softened
95grams caster sugar
185grams dark chocolate, melted
3 pears (peeled, cored and quartered)

1. If making your own pastry, start by mixing the ingredients together in a food processor until it reaches a crumbly texture, knead a couple of times and then wrap it in cling film and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
2. Roll out the pastry nice and thin, pop it into you 24cm tart tin (preferably loose-bottomed) and chill in the freezer for at least 20 minutes.(I had no space in my freezer, so I just let it chill in the fridge.)
3. Blind bake the pastry case at 200degrees until golden brown. Set a side to cool a little.
4. Lower the oven temperature to 170degrees once the pastry is done and mix together the ground almond, butter, sugar and eggs. While the melted chocolate is still warm, stir it into the filling mixture.
5. Pour the filling into the pastry case and gently press the pears onto the chocolate and almond mix. Bake for 40-45minutes until the filling is firm and the pastry has a golden colour to it.

Smooth chocolate and juicy fruit!

A rich and sweet tart that is great on its own with a cup of coffee or simply with a dollop of loosely whipped cream!

We really enjoyed our low key father's day, I hope you guys did too(?) :)

Have a great start to this lovely week! x