Chai-Spiced White Chocolate Tart

I made this tart AGES ago and like the obsessive food blogger I am, took lots of pictures and meticulously edited and catalogued them.  I then promptly forgot all about them until this morning when I was looking for another bunch of images for another long-forgotten dish. Who knows what amazing things I could do if  my real life didn't keep distracting me.


Chai-Spiced White Chocolate Tart
slightly adapted from here

For the Pastry:
200g "00" flour
100g cold unsalted butter
1 egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 tablespoon iced water, if needed
Pinch of salt

For the Filling:
300g white chocolate, roughly chopped (I use one with hazelnuts.  If you are using plain white chocolate, throw a handful of chopped, toasted hazelnuts in.)
150ml cream
150ml milk
4 green cardamom pods, crushed
1 stick cinnamon
4 cloves
Pinch of salt
1/3 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 egg yolk

Make the Pastry:
Put all the pastry ingredients except the water, into a food processor and blitz until it comes together as a dough.  Use the extra water only if the dough is too dry.  Form into a ball, cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 180C. Slide a baking sheet in the oven to heat up.

Take the pastry out of the refrigerator and and roll it out to line a greased 23 cm (9 in) loose-bottomed tart pan. Press the pastry into the sides and base of the pan, prick the base with a fork and trim off any excess pastry.

Line the pastry with baking paper, pour in some baking weights and bake for 15 minutes on the heated baking sheet. Remove the weights and paper and return the tart to the baking sheet in the oven to cake for a further 5 - 10 minutes, or until cooked through and golden. Remove from the oven and set aside.

Make the Filling:

Put the chopped chocolate into a heatproof bowl.

Put the cream, milk and spices into a medium pan, place over a medium heat and bring to a simmer.

Pour the hot cream mixture, through a sieve to strain out the whole spices, over the chocolate and stir until the chocolate melts.  Set aside to cool.

In a separate bowl, whisk the egg together and add the cooled chocolate mixture.  

Pour the filling into the tart shell and bake for 15 minutes at 180C, then reduce the temperature to 130C and bake for a further 20 - 25 minutes or until golden and set.  Leave to cool to room temperature before slicing.