I still have around 2 tins of chestnut cream back when I was baking for Life with Cacao’s highlight dish.

Since today was my family’s weekly dinner, I decided to put the chestnut cream to good use and be creative with it. One thing led to another and so the chocolate and chestnut tart was created.

To recreate, you will need:

Crust:
100 grams cold butter
170 grams flour
pinch of salt
2 tablespoons salt sugar
2 tablespoons ice water mixed with 1 egg yolk

In a food processor, pulse the flour with cold butter until it resembles fine bread crumbs. Add salt and pulse again. Sprinkle the water mixture and pulse a few times. Continue working with dough on tabletop, sprinkle more water if its too dry. Make sure not to overwork it. Form the dough into a disc and cover with plastic wrap. Place in fridge for 1 hour or until firm.

Remove from fridge and roll pastry to fit a 9 inch buttered tart pan. Line the pan with the pastry dough and fridge for another hour. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 200 degrees Celsius.

Line the tart crust with parchment paper and baking beans or uncooked rice and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the parchment paper and beans and bake for additional 10 minutes, until light golden brown. Leave the crust to cool. Reduce oven temperature to 170 degrees Celsius.

For the filling:

• 500 grams of chestnut cream
• 200 gram good quality dark chocolate, chopped
• 200 ml whipping cream
• 1 egg
• vanilla extract
• fresh chestnuts
• simple syrup*

Bring to boil the whipping cream and add to the chocolate. Mix until velvety smooth. Cool for 5 minutes and then add the egg and vanilla extract and mix.

Once the crust is cool add half the chestnut cream and half the chocolate mixture, and then add the rest of the chestnut cream and end with the chocolate mixture. Bake for 30-35 minutes until firm around the edges but slightly jiggles in the center.

Leave to cool completely before removing from tart mold. Meanwhile, make the candied chestnuts. Bake the chestnuts until their done in a high oven, for around 30 minutes. Peel and add to a small sauce pan. Add enough simple syrup to cover the chestnuts and cook until the syrup is thickened and the chestnut has absorbed the syrup. Leave to cool completely and then chop roughly.

Decorate the cooled tart with the chopped candied chestnut and icing sugar. Slice and enjoy!

* To make simple syrup bring to boil equal quantity water and sugar for 15 minutes and then remove from heat to cool completely.