Gü Chocolate Cookbook

pinch of salt

50g unsalted butter, softened

1 lightly heaped tsp cocoa powder

25g icing sugar

1 egg yolk

EQUIPMENT

24-cup mini tartlet tin

LARGE QUANTITY

MAKES 1 × 26CM ROUND TART CASE OR 1 × 2 °CM ROUND TART CASE WITH SOME SPARE TO MAKE MINI TARTLETS

150g plain flour

pinch of salt

100g unsalted butter, softened

1 lightly heaped tbsp cocoa powder

100g icing sugar

1 egg

EQUIPMENT

26cm or 20cm round fluted tart tin, depending on the main recipe requirement

1. Sift half of the flour into a large mixing bowl, then add the salt and butter and blend together well with a spatula until smooth.

2. Sift the cocoa powder, icing sugar and remaining flour over the butter mixture and rub them in with your fingertips until it forms even-sized breadcrumbs.

3. Beat the egg lightly in a jug and mix this into the flour and butter mix with a fork until it just binds together and forms a dough. (Be very careful not to overmix as the pastry will become tough.)

4. Wrap the pastry in cling film and place in the fridge for 2–3 hours before rolling out.

5. Each of our tart recipes calls for a tart case that is baked blind. To do this, preheat the oven to 170 °C/Gas mark 3. Butter the tart tin and cut out a circle of baking parchment that is 10cm larger than the diameter of the tin.

6. Dust a work surface with flour and unwrap the chilled pastry. Roll it out thinly and use it to line the tart tin. Lightly prick the base all over with a fork. Tightly crumple the baking parchment in your hand (to make it easier to fit inside the pastry case), then flatten it and use it to line the pastry case. Fill the base with baking beans.

7. Place the tart tin on a baking sheet and put it in the oven for 10–15 minutes until there is no or a very little wet patch left. Remove the baking sheet and tart tin from the oven, and carefully lift out the paper filled with beans. Then return the baking sheet and tart tin to the oven and cook for a further 10 minutes or until the pastry case is nearly cooked and feels dry.

♦ GÜ TIP To make everything as easy possible, use butter that has been standing at room temperature; your beating arm won’t complain nearly as much.

♦ GÜ TIP Roll out pastry between sheets of baking parchment as it makes this job so much easier and won’t stick to your work surface.

♦ GÜ TIP Another way to prevent the pastry from becoming too soggy once a filling is added, is to brush the cooked pastry with a thin layer of melted chocolate. This works on all tarts that do not require baking once the filling has been poured in, such as the Raspberry Ganache Tart.

GÜ Chocolate Ganache

Once you learn to make this easy recipe you’ll see what a brilliant all-rounder it is. Ganache is a classic thick chocolate mixture and it can be used hot as a chocolate sauce or dip; cold whisked up as a milkshake, poured over a cake as a shiny glaze, made into truffles, used to sandwich together cookies or macaroons, or chilled and beaten as a fluffy icing for cupcakes. Clever ganache!

MAKES ABOUT 450G

160g dark chocolate (about 50 % cocoa solids), broken into small pieces

60g milk chocolate (34 % minimum cocoa solids), broken into small pieces

300ml whipping cream

EQUIPMENT

Stick blender (optional)

1. Put the dark and milk chocolate pieces into a heatproof bowl. Pour the cream into a saucepan and bring it to the boil. Pour it over the chocolate and stir with a spatula until the chocolate has melted and become smooth. If you have a stick blender, then use this to blitz the hot ganache, as it makes the mixture smoother and helps it to set.

2. Use the ganache hot as a sauce or glaze, or pour it into a bowl, leave it to cool and then put in the fridge for 4–6 hours until set. Use as needed.

♦ GÜ TIP The higher the cocoa solids in your chocolate, the firmer your ganache will be.

♦ GÜ TIP If you’re feeling lazy you can buy pots of Gü Ganache in the supermarket too.

Chocolate Pecan Crumble

Make this unusual cooked chocolate crumble to scatter over finished dishes to give extra texture and flavour.

MAKES ABOUT 225G

60g pecan nuts

50g unsalted butter, softened

25g demerara sugar

25g light soft brown sugar

2 tsp cocoa powder

60g plain flour

1. Preheat the oven to 140 °C/Gas mark 1. Put the pecan nuts in a plastic bag and finely crush them with a rolling pin or other heavy object.

2. Put the remaining ingredients in a bowl and rub them together very well with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Then stir in the crushed pecans.