Recipe for :

This recipe comes from Raymond Blanc's Cheltenham restaurant, Le Petit Blanc when it first opened in 1998:

This can be made as individual servings or as one large tart in a flan tin measuring 24cm / 9.5in across.

Serve at room temperature for the best chocolate flavour says Raymond Blanc.

Ingredients

For the pastry:

225g / 8oz plain flour
110g / 4.5oz butter
2 egg yolks
Pinch of salt
65g / 2.5ox icing sugar
20g / 2.5oz ground almonds

For the chocolate filling:

100ml / 3.5fl oz whipping cream
110g / 4.25oz dark chocolate, chopped
3 tbsp milk
1 large egg

To serve:

Swirls of chocolate and vanilla sauces
Vanilla ice cream

For the pastry:

• Sieve the flour on to a work surface, make a well in the centre and add the butter cut into small pieces.

• Work into the flour until the mixture is like breadcrumbs, then mix in the egg yolks, salt, sugar and almonds to make a dough.

• Knead until smooth, then wrap in clingfilm and chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours.

• On a floured surface, roll out the pastry 3mm / ¹/₈in thick and line into six individual flan tins or a large 24cm / 9.5in tin. Chill for 20 minutes.

• Preheat the oven to 180^°C / 350°F / Gas Mark 4 and bake the flan case blind (lined with crumpled foil or baking parchment and baking beans) for 10 minutes, removing the foil or parchment after 8 minutes.

• Allow to cool.

For the chocolate filling:

• Bring the cream to simmering point, pour on to the chopped chocolate in a bowl and stir until the chocolate melts.

• Whisk in the milk and egg.

• Preheat the oven to 150^°C / 300^°F / Gas Mark 2.

• Pour the chocolate filling into the pastry case(s) and bake for 15 - 20 minutes until set.

• Allow to cool before serving.

• Serve with swirls of chocolate and vanilla sauces and vanilla ice cream.

Serves 6