Chocolate tart

Method

1. First, make the pastry. Cream the butter and icing sugar together in an electric mixer or with an electric hand whisk, until soft and white. Add the egg yolks, beat in thoroughly, then scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat again. Measure out 25ml cold water in a small jug. Add a little of the water and all of the flour and mix together, stopping every now and then to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the rest of the water and mix for a couple of minutes. Remove from the bowl, shape into a ball and chill for an hour.
2. Roll out the pastry on a surface dusted with icing sugar until about 5mm thick (a bit thicker than a pound coin). Take a 20cm loose-bottomed, fluted tart tin that’s 4cm deep and line it with the pastry. Don’t trim the edges of the pastry case. Chill for 1 hour to ensure that the pastry doesn’t shrink during baking.
3. Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan160°C/gas 4. Line the pastry case with baking paper and baking beans or rice and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the paper and the beans and return the pastry case to the oven for 5 minutes until golden. Leave to cool in the tin, then trim any pastry edges.
4. Place the chocolate in a large heatproof bowl over a pan of gently simmering water. Allow to melt slowly, then remove from the heat. Whisk the eggs in a large bowl. Place the milk and cream in a saucepan and bring to a gentle boil. Pour onto the eggs and quickly whisk together. Pass the mixture through a sieve onto the chocolate and mix well.
5. Pour the chocolate filling into the cooled tart case. Place the tart in the oven, close the door and immediately turn off the oven. Leave for 45 minutes until cool, then remove from the oven and the tin. Dust with icing sugar, decorate with the chocolate curls (see tips), then cut into slices and serve. Any leftovers will keep in the fridge for a couple of days.