Chocolate Nut Tart

I have been spoiling my hard working hubby lately with some divine desserts.  Not just our usual winter desserts, but desserts where I've been going the extra mile and making something quite special.  He is such a hard working man and deserves to be totally spoilt.

This chocolate tart can be made with any nut of your choice, my favourites are pistachio (which I used for this) and macadamia.

If your pastry is too sticky, carefully add very small amounts of flour until you get the right consistency.  And this recipe does not require the pastry to be blind cooked.

PASTRY
100g softened butter
1/2 cup icing sugar (heaped half a cup)
1 egg
1 1/2 cups plain flour

GANACHE
100ml cream
200g dark chocolate
2 teaspoons butter

CUSTARD
100 ml full cream milk
4 egg yolks
3/4 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon cocoa
100 ml cream
75g nuts of your choice

Preheat your oven to 200 degrees. 

To make the pastry mix the butter and icing sugar together to form a smooth paste.  Add the egg and stir until smooth and combined.  Sift in the flour and mix until the pastry forms a ball.

Roll pastry out on a floured surface.  If you find its too sticky add a small amount of flour.  Line a prepared fluted flan dish and refrigerate until needed.

To make the custard bring the milk to boil in a saucepan.  Mix the egg yolks, sugar and cocoa together and stir into the heated milk.  Stir over a low heat until thickened.  This takes about 10 - 15 minutes - don't let it boil.

Add the cream and nuts and stir over a low heat until it thickens again.  Pour into the pastry crust and bake for 30 minutes.  Cool.

While the tart is cooking make your ganache.  Put your cream and chocolate into the top of a double boiler and heat until the chocolate is melted and smooth.  Add the butter (this gives it a gloss) and stir until combined.  Set aside until needed.

Once the tart has cooled, pour over the ganache and allow it to set before serving.

Op Shopping - Its Been A While

I've had a break from op-shopping lately.  I've missed it!  I snuck into the Habitat for Humanity store yesterday before picking Danger Mouse up from kindy and found myself a few treasures.

My $7.50 large glass bowl.  I have been wanting one of these for a long time.  This one is beautiful and solid, large without a blemish on it.   I can think of so many uses for it - filling it up with sweets or popcorn at a birthday, using it as a Christmas centre piece filled with glass baubles, floating candles or flowers in for a dinner centre piece, filling it up with green apples.  I love it.

The Girl needs winter hats for our school run walks.  I will only buy op shop ones as she throws so many over the side of the pushchair and we lose heaps.  These were $2 each.  I love the pom pom one as it buttons up under her chin and is hopefully harder for her to pull off.

Good Wives to add to my classic book collection for the kids and a book of prayer and bible stories for the kids as well.

An adult hoodie pattern - .50c.  I live in hoodies at home, they are so comfy and warm.  Now I can make my own and there is some great sweatshirt material appearing in the stores now.  And a cotton scarf - $2. 

I love to find treasures, the searching is all part of the thrill.