Rosie Birkett shares recipe for a Montezuma's chocolate tart

To bring a smile, fun and maybe even the opportunity of finding a new talent Sussex's Montezuma’s has launched Montezuma’s Moments.
Chocolate tartChocolate tart
Chocolate tart

The series of easy to watch videos will run throughout the Summer hosted by a selection of creative experts who will share secrets, tips and a little insight into their skills for you to follow at home.

The series focuses on the three things that have brought Brits joy during lockdown; cooking, nature and creativity within the home.

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Cook and Food Writer, Rosie Birkett kick starts the Montezuma’s Moments online teach-ins with some delicious Montezuma’s recipes and tips. Perfect for the 47 per cent of Brits stating that they have spent much of the lockdown cooking.

Rosie will be whipping up, amazingly easy to follow recipes that celebrate the magic of Montezuma’s chocolate. The step by step guide for both adults and kids alike will create a super scrumptious Chocolate, Cardamom and Hazelnut Tart. She will also serve up plenty of tips on how to cook with chocolate.

Rosie said: “With all of us much more limited in terms of what we can do and plan in our leisure time, the nation is in need of a pick-me-up more than ever.

"So, in order to share some inspiration and encourage people to treat themselves and others around them, I’ve partnered with Montezuma’s to launch the Montezuma’s Moments teach-ins, designed to satisfy those creative cravings; eradicate lockdown lethargy, and give you something chocolatey and delicious to enjoy at the end of it.”

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Cooking at home is all about just giving it a go and having some fun, and it doesn't get much more joyful than cooking with chocolate.

"You can’t go too far wrong if you start with great quality chocolate that’s ethically sourced and made from the best available ingredients. Don’t be afraid to push the boundaries with flavours, too, because the beauty of Montezuma’s is that it’s wonderfully versatile and really fun to experiment with. Go on, get stuck in!”

Other Montezuma’s Moments will include how to bring flowers from your garden into the home, led by floral expert Carla Gottlieb from Still Life Flowers along with insight from Lauren Baker, a world-renowned London artist and creativity coach who will also host sessions to inspire the nation to get creative at home.

The perfect way to put a smile on your face, as well as those around you. Montezuma’s Moments will take place each Friday and will be hosted by Rosie, Carla and Lauren who will share their passion for creativity, sustainability and quality. Simply tune into the brand’s Instagram feed @montezumasMontezuma's first store opened in Sussex and its HQ is in Birdham.

Rosie’s Top Cooking Tips:

Quality is key

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Start with great quality chocolate. Cocoa that’s been scrupulously and ethically sourced and processed using good ingredients to start with is going to taste better in your finished dish. I’m a big fan of the Montezuma’s approach and adore their 70% dark chocolate, organic white vanilla chocolate, and milk chocolate as base ingredients. They’re all smooth, creamy, and packed full of flavour. It’s a bonus that the packaging is recyclable, too.

Play with flavour and be inventive

It’s sort of a given that anything made with good quality chocolate is going to taste delicious, so why not get creative and play with some interesting combinations? White chocolate works particularly well as a base to pair with vivid, bold, sharp flavours such as those found in tropical fruits like mango. Dark chocolate stands up to citrus and spice really well, because they can pick up on the various flavour compounds already found in the cocoa. The beauty of chocolate is that it has so many different flavours going on. It’s really fun to experiment with how you can mix things up and add in some unexpected elements, for example chilli or lime.

Pay attention to texture

Chocolate has such a sublime, uniquely silky texture, thanks to its combination of cocoa butter and cocoa. I love playing around with adding texture to bring crunch and a different mouthfeel alongside the melty chocolate. Working with crumbly pastry, crunchy toasted coconut and crispy cocoa nibs is just a starting point.

Rosie’s Recipes

Chocolate, cardamom and hazelnut tart

Serves 8-10

This tart is a wonderful example of how great quality chocolate can be elevated into a really special dessert. I love to serve it with fresh raspberries, which cut through its richness. This works beautifully for a celebratory meal or virtual dinner party.

Ingredients

For the hazelnut pastry

50g blanched hazelnuts

200g spelt flour (I used 100g wholegrain and 100g white)

20g icing sugar

Pinch of salt

90g chilled butter, cubed

1 egg yolk

1-2 tbsp iced water

For the filling

100ml milk

10 cardamom pods, bashed

130g dark chocolate

50g milk chocolate

240g crème fraiche

2 eggs

1 tsp ground cardamom

Method

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1. Prepare a 20cm, loose-bottomed tart tin. To make the pastry, blitz the hazelnuts in a food processor, until coarsely chopped. Add in the flours, sugar and salt and pulse again to mix.

2. Slide in the butter and blitz to a breadcrumb consistency. Add in the egg yolk and one tablespoon of the iced water and pulse to bind, adding the rest of the water if you need to, to bring the dough together.

3. Once it’s sticking together, but not feeling sticky, tip it out onto a work surface and bring it together into a smooth ball. Press down to a disc and then, between sheets of baking paper, because it will be very short and crumbly, roll it out to a circle that’s bigger than your tart tin and about the thickness of a pound coin.

4. Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes to one hour.

5. Heat the oven to 170 fan. Put the bashed cardamom pods into the milk and bring to just below the boil on a medium heat, then remove from the heat and allow to cool and infuse.

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6. Take the pastry out of the fridge and run your hands over the baking paper to warm it up a little bit, as the butter will have stiffened in the fridge - you want it pliable. Use a rolling pin to transfer the pastry to the tart tin, then line it, patching up any tears, and prick the base with a fork.

7. Line with one of the pieces of baking paper you used to roll it out, fill it with baking beans and blind bake for 15 minutes. Then remove the paper and beans and bake for another ten minutes. Remove from the oven and turn the heat down to 150c.

8. To make the filling, set up a bain marie with a couple of inches of water in a pan over a medium heat. Break your chocolate into a metal or glass bowl and place it over the pan, so that the bottom isn’t touching the water. Melt the chocolate together, stirring. Take it off the heat when it’s 2/3rds melted and stir to finish the melting. Allow to cool for a few minutes.

9. Strain the milk into the crème fraiche and whisk to combine, then stir this through the melted chocolate. Crack in the eggs, pour in the remaining cardamom and whisk together to form a smooth custard. Pour this into the tart case and bake for 22-25 minutes, until set but still with a very slight wobble.

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10. Allow to cool, then chill in the fridge for a couple of hours. Slice and serve with raspberries.

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