Ingredients
Make 12 tartlets
Prunes
- 8 "mit-cuit" prunes, stones removed
- 2 tablespoons Irish whiskey
Pastry
- 150g plain flour
- 25c caster sugar
- 10g icing sugar
- 80g cold butter, finely diced
- 2 tablespoons beaten egg, approx
Chocolate Ganache
- 100g chocolate, 60% cocoa solids
- 50 ml cream
- 1 tablespoon honey
- You will need 12 individual tartlet tins or a tray of the same number, each measuring 6.5cm wide , 2cm deep or as close to that as is possible.
To serve
- 4 tablespoons softly whipped cream
- Unsweetened cocoa powder
Method
- Place the prunes in a small bowl with the whiskey, cover and allow to soak for at least 6 hours or overnight. The prunes will drink up all of the whiskey.
- To make the pastry, place the flour, sugars and butter in a food processer. Pulse the ingredients until the butter resembles a fine crumb. Add in the egg and again using the pulse button, just process the mixture until it is just starting to come together.
- Now, pour the mixture into a bowl and finish bringing the pastry together by hand. Knead briefly to achieve a smooth dough. Flatten the dough into a neat disc, c 2cm thick and wrap in parchment paper. Chill for at least 30 minutes.
- Remove the chilled pastry from the fridge and place on a flour dusted counter. Leave it for 5 minutes before rolling it out to about 3mm thick. Using an 8cm cutter, stamp out 12 pieces out of the dough. Transfer to the tartlet trays with the use of a pallet knife or slice.
- Firm the pastry gently into the base and sides of the tray. Place a paper bun case in each tartlet and fill generously with dried baking beans or rice. Alternatively just lay the pastry pieces over the upturned tartlet tray, making sure that they are neatly centred on the bases of the tray.
- Chill for 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 180c / 350f
- Place the tray of chilled tartlets in the oven and cook for c 20 minutes or until staring to look a pale hazelnut colour. Remove the bun cases with the beans still in (reserve both beans and cases for another day) and continue cooking the tartlets until fully cooked through. They should be a hazelnut colour, but do not overcook or allow to become too dark or they will be bitter. If you are following the second suggested method of just draping the uncooked pastry over the upturned tray, just cook them until golden and crisp.
- Place the tray on a cooling rack and allow to cool. As soon as the cases feel firm to the touch, remove from the trays and place on the cooling rack to cool completely.
- To make the chocolate ganache, place the chocolate in a pyrex bowl and place over a saucepan of cold water. The bottom of the pyrex bowl should not be touching the water in the saucepan. Place the saucepan on the heat and bring to a boil. Immediately turn off the heat and the chocolate will gradually finish melting in the heat remaining in the saucepan.
- Place the cream and honey in a small saucepan and bring just to a boil. Remove the bowl of chocolate from the saucepan and now using a flexible rubber spatula, mix to achieve a single glossy consistency. Add in the cream in 3 separate increments. Each time you add the cream, stir vigorously with the tip of the spatula working from the centre of the bowl to the edge.
- Divide the whiskey soaked prunes between the tartlets. It will be necessary to tear or chop some of the prunes, but it is a sufficient quantity for the 12 pastry shells. Use the back of a teaspoon to smooth the prunes into place. Pour the ganache over the prunes filling the shells to as close to the top as you dare. If there is a little ganache left over, pour it into a little bowl and enjoy it yourself later when set.
- Place the tartlets in a cool place or the fridge to allow the ganache to set.
- When ready to serve, drape a dessertspoon of softly whipped cream over each tartlet and dust generously with cocoa powder.
