Chocolate Tarts – Easter Treats
There are so many nice things about this time of year, whether it’s the evenings being brighter or the sun attempting to shine through and tempt us into shorts. Though of course, we have just had easter past.
Therefore, no doubt people have indulged with a gluttony of chocolate based goodies. I’m no different, and I thought I’d share some chocolate tarts I made:
Freshly decorated chocolate tarts
Chocolate Tarts (x5)
For the shortcrust pastry (~400g):
- 200g of sifted plain flour,
- 100g of diced butter
- dash of salt
- 1 beaten egg
You can of course buy in the pastry, but it’s simple enough to make (even by hand). Combine the dry ingredients, and rub together, till you end up with flaky breadcrumb style texture. Add the egg slowly, just enough to bind the mixture together. Place the mixture on a work surface, bring into a ball and squish down to 2/3cm high. Wrap it up in clingfilm and leave it in the fridge for 30mins before use.
Once chilled, roll out and line the pastry tins and blake bind for 12-15 mins, at 180C.
Chocolate Filling
- 200g of melted dark chocolate (you can use plain for a lighter tart)
- 50g flour
- 4 eggs
- 75g butter
- 100g golden caster sugar
Mix all the ingredients together (set aside a small portion of melted chocolate for decoration). Fill the tart cases with the mixture, bake for 5-8 minutes till set.
Decorate off with the cocoa and melted chocolate in any dazzling design.
Sit back enjoy, and share with those around you. Be careful, they are devilishy tasty.
Early Morning Markets
I love food, and I really enjoy visiting local markets. Last weekend I had the opportunity to see the Birmingham wholesale markets. There was one slight issue, I had to wake up at 3.40AM to meetup at 4AM.
Neil - Interviewed for Big Paws by @Bounder - Taken by Lee Allen
Yes you heard it, 3.40. That was taken shortly after 4, all in aid of the 4AM Project. So a group of 30 people, were off wondering around Birmingham New St station at this ungodly hour. Check out the flickr stream, to see the pictures from around the world.
We headed off to the wholesale markets, whilst walking past a cocktail maker who was flaring (aka showing off) by the bus stop at 4.30AM! He looked surprised to see us.
I was amazed at the size of the warehouse that hosted the fruit/veg. There were many stores selling their wares.
An array of colour - Fruit & Veg.
Flower Choice - By Pete Ashton
It was a really nice change to be up so early, though we were starting to get hungry. Luckily, we had been told about a cafe to hit, so at around 5.30 I ordered the ‘full’ breakfast for £4.50. Bargain I thought. Unfortunately, I hadn’t seen anyone else order this.
A Full Breakfast - By Nicky Getgood
Underneath all of that, theres a tin of beans. Suffice to say, I did not manage to finish it all. Infact I’d say I made a small dent into it. So if you hit the cafe, just order a bap – it will be big enough.
After all that fun, I hit home and slept for a few hours. Before heading back to the ‘normal’ markets, which only open at 9AM. I was after some ingredients for a pork pie, and other goodies (I couldn’t get into the Meat area of wholesale unfortunately). Though when I asked around for pigs trotters, I got told that I was too late.
Not impressed!
Market goodies lately have included: Boar Sausages, Local Ales, Pork Shoulder, Oysters, Mussels and a wide array of vegetables. Tasty.
Food & Drink Frolics In London
The guy in Birmingham had to head south to the lights of London recently. Luckily these gave me a chance to sample some new restaurants/bars that I’ve had food envy from after seeing other food bloggers posts, as well as reviews on Tipped.
So it’s been week 12 (time is certainly flying by), I’ll keep it brief, and in some cases I’ve linked to the place on Tipped.
Monday: Leongs Legends – Dim Sum is my little addiction, that I never get round to making; or finding a decent purveyor of in Birmingham. I was slightly over adventurous order 4 dishes to myself: siu long bao, oysters with egg, mini pork belly roll and another noodle dish.
Tuesday: The Rake – After tweeting for some recommendations, near London Bridge I got this:
I can certainly say I’ve not seen as many beers in a fridge before. The delights included Hebrew, Brewdog Punk IPA, a sample of Epic Beer (from NZ). Check it out if you are near London Bridge/Borough Market way.
Wednesday: I had arranged to meet up with @Grumblemouse, otherwise known as Charles from Tipped. Many a places were visited including The Crown Tavern, Dovetail, Fox & Anchor.
The Fox & Anchor certainly stands out, there are pewter tankards hanging from the bar, and a nice selection of beers on offer. We had some Meantime IPA, London Porter (both are served in wine bottles – that was a case for sharing!). Also on offer here were some decent oysters, not too badly priced. Certainly more than your usual pub grub offering.
It finished off with a visit to the new Gaucho, where I had a lovely spiral cut, and some lamb chops to share as well. Certainly a tasty night, and I’ve discovered quite a few new places in Clerkenwell, as well as the tasty Meantime IPA that I will be purchasing tomorrow!
Thursday: Abeno Too – I had intended to eat at Cha Cha Moon (a cheap eat from Alan Yau off Carnaby Street, but alas I had bad service before even ordering and left). Abeno Too, on the other hand was a delight. It is an Okonomiyaki bar, where you can get a ‘japanese omelette’ cooked in front of you on a hot plate. I had a nice mix of salmon, squid and prawns.
Thats all folks, a few nice places were hit in the week, and I’ve still got a list to get through when I get back!
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