In my kitchen

Chocolate tart

500g dark Chocolate

200g Milk

300g Double cream

3 whole eggs

Method

1. Boil the milk and the cream

2. Pour over the chopped chocolate

3. Add the eggs and mix

4. Strain into jug

5. Keep warm until needed

Sweet Pastry

vanilla essence

175g soft butter

20g water

2 egg yolks

250g of flour

75g icing sugar

1. Mix the butter, sugar and vanilla

2. Whisk the eggs and water together and add slowly to the butter

3. Sieve the flour into the mixture, folding gently.

4. Wrap the pastry in cling film and leave to firm in the fridge for two hours.

5. Heat the oven to 165˚. Roll the pastry out to 4mm in thickness and line the tart case . To cook, blind bake with baking beans for 10 minutes until bronze.

6. Take out of the oven and remove the baking beans. Cook for a further five minutes

Fill the pastry case with the chocolate mix and cook in a medium oven until it is just set but still gooey in the middle, allow to cool before serving.

Christine Austin recommends: Taylor’s Late Bottled Vintage Port 2003 (Majestic £13.99) is fabulous with all kinds of chocolate dessert, its ripe red fruit blending with the cocoa, adding weight and sheer lusciousness. Lighter in alcohol and surprisingly good with chocolate is St Hallett Gamekeeper’s Reserve 2009 with soft, sweet fruit, and you can team this with the cheese course too.