Michel Roux Jr’s Guilty Pleasure: Dark chocolate with a glass of Gossett champagne

My guilty pleasure has to be chocolate, I couldn’t live without it. It has to be proper, good-quality chocolate with at least 70% quality cocoa solids, single estate only - none of this cheap confectionary! As a child, I was always given dark, bitter chocolate, which is why I’ve developed a taste for it. It’s got a fantastic texture in the mouth and a wonderful depth of flavour. My grandmothers would make me ‘petit pots’ or chocolate mousse when I was growing up so I’ve always loved chocolate desserts, but I also love to eat a square or two as a little pick-me-up. My favourite time to eat it is at home with my wife, catching up on our days but if I’m really honest, I’ll eat it whenever I can! I suppose it’s my guilty pleasure because if I’m not careful, I could eat too much…That and the fact a square of two or chocolate is invariably accompanied by a glass of Gossett champagne. ‘Tis (nearly) the season, after all! I’m sharing my recipe for bitter chocolate tart below, perfect for a little indulgence.

Michel Roux Jnr. was born into the famous culinary Roux family in Kent. Michel rose through the ranks starting with an apprenticeship at Alain Chapel followed by military service cooking at the Élysée Palace for President Mitterand. In 1991 he took over the helm from his father at the two Michelin star restaurant Le Gavroche in London, synonymous with haute French cuisine. Having regularly appeared on our television screens and penned a number of books Michel is well known and loved by the public. But first, and very foremost he is a chef. He’s also a keen sportsman and loves running marathons. Tune in to watch him on Kitchen Impossible now airing on Channel 4 as he mentors a number of people with disabilities in a kitchen environment. http://www.michelroux.co.uk/ http://www.le-gavroche.co.uk/

Bitter Chocolate Tart with Raspberries

Ingredients

240g pâte sucrée (you can find a recipe for this pastry online)

250g raspberries

20g mint leaves, finely snipped

Chocolate ganache

250ml whipping cream

200g good-quality dark chocolate, 60-70% cocoa solids (Amedei would work wonderfully here), finely chopped

25g liquid glucose

50g butter, cut into small pieces

METHOD

1 Roll out the pastry to a round, 2mm thick, and use to line a lightly greased 20cm diameter (2.5cm deep) flan ring. Chill for at least 20 minutes.

2 Preheat the oven to 190°C.

3 Prick the base of the pastry case. Bake the case blind for 20 minutes. Lower the oven setting to 180°C, remove the baking beans and paper and bake the pastry case for another 5 minutes.

4 Place on a wire rack, lift off the ring and leave the tart case until cold. Set aside 24 of the best raspberries. Halve the rest, delicately mix with the snipped mint and spread evenly in the pastry case.

5 For the chocolate ganache, bring the cream to the boil in a heavy-based pan over a medium heat. Take off the heat, add the chocolate and glucose, and mix with a whisk to a very smooth cream. Still whisking, incorporate the butter, a piece at a time.

6 Pour the ganache over the halved raspberries to fill the pastry case. Set aside until cold, then chill the tart for at least 2 hours before serving.

7 Use a very sharp knife dipped in very hot water and wiped dry to cut each slice. Place the tart slices on individual plates with the reserved raspberries. Serve cold, but not straight from the fridge.

[ irishtimes.com/food ]