Meet Maude

Hello from Maude

Following on from my sister Betty's chocolate theme, and what a theme it is! I also LOVE cooking, anything crafty, looking after my 3 beautiful children (oh and the hubby!) and having a good laugh with family and friends. I think i will keep the chocolate theme coming (okay maybe i like chocolate ALOT) but you really must try this recipe from Jamie Oliver - "Jamie's America". He describes it as outrageously sexy and if you make this for someone special they will want to marry you! (So for all those singles, get baking!)

It really isn't for the faint hearted though - WARNING: CHOCOLATE LOVERS ONLY! as it really has a rich chocolate taste and the spicy dusting really gets those taste buds dancing!! This one didn't last 1 day in our house and even Miss 9, Mr 6 and Miss 4 loved it!


It's called Chocolate Mole Tart by Jamie Oliver (Jamie's America page 233)

Sweet Pastry 

this recipe is on page 122 in Jamie's America

250g plain flour, plus extra for dusting

50g icing sugar

125g unsalted cold butter, cut into small cubes

optional: orange zest

l large egg

a splash of milk

You can make this pastry by hand, or put it in a food processor.

I did mine in the food processor

Sift the flour and icing sugar into the food processor, add the butter cubes and the zest from 1 orange

Pulse it a couple of times until the mixture looks alot like breadcrumbs

Add the egg and a splash of milk and pulse again, remembering not to over do it just until the mixture comes together. If you work the pastry too much it will become elastic and chewy.

Sprinkle some flour over a clean work surface and pat your pastry dough into a flat disc, then wrap it in glad wrap and pop into the fridge to rest for at least 30mins



Carefully roll out your pastry, turning it every so often, until it's about 0.5cm thick. Then carefully ease the pastry into the oiled tin, making sure you push it into all the sides. Trim off any excess by running a knife along the top of the pastry case, then prick the base of the case all over with a fork and pop it into the freezer for 30 minutes. Preheat your oven to 180 degrees/ 350F/ gas mark 4.

You will need to blind bake your pastry now. Line your pasrty with greaseproof paper and fill the case up with rice or those baking beads, and bake blind for 10 min. Take the case out remove the paper and rice then return the case to the oven to cook for a further 10 min until it's firm and almost biscuit-like. Leave to cool.

For the filling

100g hazelnuts

200g good-quality dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids), bashed up

sea salt

150g unsalted butter, chopped into cubes

200g caster sugar

3 large eggs, preferably free-range

4-5 tablespoons dulce de leche (I found a jar of this at Pennisi deli, on Balaclava St at the Gabba)

Spread your hazelnuts out on a roasting tray and place in your hot oven for 6 to 8 minutes, until

golden. Remove from the oven and leave cool, but leave the oven on.

Heat 2.5cm of water in a pan over a low heat and put a large heatproof glass bowl over the top of it, making sure the bottom of the bowl doesn't touch the water. Put your bashed-up chocolate into the bowl with a pinch of salt. When it starts to melt, add the butter and give it the occasional stir. Keep the heat low or the chocolate will split. Turn the heat off once everything is smooth and melted.

Pour 75ml of cold water into a clean pan on a low heat with 150g of sugar and whisk gently. When all the sugar has dissolved and you have a smooth syrup, set aside.

You want your eggs to get really fluffy, so put them into the bowl of an electric mixer and add the remaining 50g sugar. Mix about 4 minutes, until pale and frothy. At this point, slowly pour in your warm sugar syrup. mixing as you go. Turn the mixer off, pour in the melted chocolate, then mix again for 10 seconds, no longer.

Use the back of a spoon to spread the dulce de leche around the entire base of the cooled pastry case until evenly coated. Bash up your roasted hazelnuts and sprinkle then all over the dulce de leche. Pour over the chocolate filling mixture, using a spoon to even it out. Place on a baking tray and bake in a hot oven for 17 minutes, until the chocolate has set around the edges but is quite wobbly in the middle ( have Faith!!).

Remove and let cool for 2 hours ( if you can bear it!) - the filling will settle a little as it cools.

For the spicy dusting

1 level teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 cloves

1 level teaspoon coriander seeds

1 dried red chilli

zest of 1/2 an orange

4 heaped teaspoons cocoa powder

2 heaped teaspoons icing sugar

a few pinches of sea salt

Use a pestle and mortar to bash all the spicy dusting ingredients together intil fine. Sieve this over the tart for the finishing touch and serve with a dollop of cream.

You can store any leftover chocolate dust in the fridge and use it on ice-cream or hot chocolate!

It might seem alot of work for this tart,  but really it's quite simple techniques and worth EVERY delicious bite. B and I love our Jamie recipes!

Enjoy!! M xx