Mint Chocolate After Dinner Tarte

by Charlotte White

I simply adore the colder months mainly because I love winter fashions. Dresses should always be trimmed with elegant swathes of faux (always faux) fur, in tartan and plaid prints, and heavy fabrics  that keep me warm and create flattering silhouettes. I long for elbow length leather (always faux) gloves and hats in every colour. To be honest, I barely survive the warmer months with my ridiculously pale complexion, which is a true genetic aversion to the sun rather than vintage-girl affectation! I burn in minutes so am far happier wrapping up against the cold of winter than struggling to stay cool in the summer. The only problem I have with the winter is keeping my clothing consumption in check!

The A/W 2017 collection from Voodoo Vixen has been their best to date and I must confess to having picked up the versatile Von Teese top in every colour…except the pale pink, which is no good for a pasty pastry chef such as I am! My favourite purchase must have been the Joan Plaid Wiggle Dress, in just about my perfect shades of berry red and burgundy, with navy blue and a black faux fur trim. I took delivery of this stunning frock early in the season and was grateful for the removable fur as I waited (impatiently) for the temperature to drop. Come the end of the Foodies Festival season in Edinburgh at the end of November, the fur was back on and I was tucked up warmly to bake up a storm.

Of course, you know me, I had to pick up the Bettie Plaid Swing Dress too! When something works for you, get it in your wardrobe and never apologise for it. If I like a style, I will buy it in every colour and if I like a print, I will buy it in every shape. Nothing haunts me more than clothes I did not buy! I’m getting ready for Christmas now and filling in my Christmas list with those last few pieces that my hungry little wardrobe desires.

For all of those hungry souls descending on your home this festive season, I thought I would share my recipe for a Mint Chocolate After Dinner Tarte with you. I do not want to be a part of any dinner that does not end with some kind of chocolate mint. Ever since a more innocent time in which After Eight mints were the height of sophistication – and something about that box still screams class to me after all these years – I have relished the gluttony in enjoying a mint chocolate after a full meal. This chocolate tarte is my homage to the After Dinner mint in all of its decadent glory.

For the base:

300g mint Oreo biscuits

100g unsalted butter (melted)

For the filling:

300ml double cream

25g caster sugar

275g dark chocolate

60g unsalted butter

3 eggs + 2 egg yolks (beaten)

1 tsp peppermint extract

You will need:

9”loose bottomed flan dish

1. To make the biscuit base, first blitz mint Oreos in a food processor until they are a fine crumbs. Pour melted butter into the processor whilst mixing and combine into a wet rubble.
2. Tip the butter-soaked biscuits into a flan dish and press first up into the sides of the tin and then into the bottom until no holes are visible.
3. Bake the base in a preheated oven for 25 minutes.
4. To make the filling, gently heat double cream and sugar in a saucepan until bubbles are starting to form around the edges of the pan.
5. Turn off the heat and immediately add small pieces of dark chocolate and butter to the cream. Stir only to cover the chocolate in cream and leave to melt.
6. Beat 3 eggs with 2 additional egg yolks in a bowl.
7. Stir the hot cream mixture until you have an even ganache of chocolate, butter, and cream with no lumps remaining.
8. Stirring vigorously, add the beaten eggs into the chocolate mixture a third at a time. Beat each addition to disperse the eggs quickly into the mix – because nobody wants scrambled eggs in their chocolate.
9. Once all of the eggs are incorporated, pass the chocolate mixture through a sieve into a large bowl. This will collect any stringy bits of egg and leave you with a perfectly smooth tarte mix.
10. Stir in peppermint extract to taste.
11. Pour the chocolate mixture onto the cooked biscuit base and bake for a further 20-25 minutes until set on top but with a little wobble. Allow to cool before removing the tin and serving in generous slices with strong coffee.

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