Amanda Laird: Bitter chocolate espresso tartlets

Picture / Babiche Martens

Makes 12

Sweet pastry
Makes about 400g
1 cup plain flour
1 Tbsp caster sugar
Pinch salt
75g cold butter
1 egg yolk
1 Tbsp cold water
Squeeze of lemon

1. Place flour, sugar and salt in food processor and combine. Whisk the egg yolk, water and lemon and set aside.

2. Cube the butter and drop into the flour, pulse while adding the egg mixture. When pastry just begins to form a ball, stop and remove from bowl. Wrap in clingfilm and refrigerate until ready to use.

Tartlets
Sweet pastry (see recipe above)
170ml cream
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 Tbsp espresso (one short black or 2 tsp espresso mixed with 1 Tbsp hot water)
50ml milk
140g bitter chocolate, roughly chopped
2 egg yolks
1 Tbsp castor sugar
Cocoa powder

1, Preheat oven to 200C. Grease small tart or muffin tins thoroughly and line with rounds of pastry. Rest for 30 minutes then bake blind for 10 minutes. Remove paper and beans.

2. Combine cream, milk and vanilla. Add chocolate and gently warm through either in a saucepan or the microwave.

3. Reduce oven to 160C. Whisk the eggs with the sugar and add to the cream mixture. Add espresso, combine thoroughly then pour through a sieve into a bowl with a spout. Carefully pour mixture into the pastry cases and bake for 20 minutes or until just set. Dust with sieved cocoa powder before serving.