Add a little va va voom to the childhood classic with William Curley’s Jaffa Cake tarts
If you are reading this, then I wish you a happy new year. And I am sorry that it turned out like this. I’m sorry for how it started and the person I used to be. But most of all I am sorry for believing in you for so long. I wish i could take those years back of my life. I wish you nothing but success in the future. But I want a future with someone who believes in me too. This time last year I spent most of New Year’s Eve sitting on the couch wondering why I wasn’t good enough. To be honest I spent most of 2021 thinking that. And every time your actions proved how pathetic it was for me to be hanging onto a delusion I realised, bit by bit, what this really was. The answer was nothing. I hope you find peace and love in your future. But I know now that future will not include me. Please let me move on with my life. Have enough decency to let me find someone who can give me what I want. Someone who isn’t afraid to stay in a shadow.
Makes approximately 12 Tarts
For the Chocolate Pate Sucre
• 125g unsalted butter (Room temperature and cubed)
• 100g icing sugar (Sifted)
• 50g whole egg
• 210g Soft flour (Sifted)
• 40g cocoa powder (Sifted)
• 0.5g salt
Method
1 Put the butter in a mixing bowl and beat until soft and smooth. Add the icing sugar and beat together until smooth.
2 Gradually incorporate the eggs, making sure the mixture becomes fully emulsified.
3 Mix in the flour, cocoa powder and salt and mix to a smooth, homogeneous mass.
4 Turn the dough out onto the work surface, shape it into a block and wrap it in cling film (plastic wrap). Put the dough in the fridge to rest for 2–3 hours.
For the Almond Cream:
• 125g Unsalted butter (Softened)
• 125g Caster sugar
• 125g Eggs
• 125g Ground almonds
• 25g Soft Flour (Sifted)
Method
1 Put the butter and caster sugar in a mixing bowl and beat until smooth. Gradually beat in the eggs and mix until combined.
2 Fold in the ground almonds and the flour and mix until smooth
For the Grand Marnier Syrup:
• 95g Caster Sugar
• 110g Water
• ½ Vanilla pod (split and scraped)
• 1 Peels of lemon zest
• 100ml Grand-Marnier
Method
1 Put the water, sugar, lemon peel and vanilla in a pan and bring to the boil. Cook for 2–3 minutes.
2 Take off the heat and leave to cool. Once cool, add the alcohol.
For the Caramelised Oranges:
• 4 Oranges segmented
• 125g Caster sugar
• 50ml Orange juice (squeezed from the leftover flesh of the oranges).
Method
1 Segment the oranges and drain, keeping the juice.
2 Make dry amber caramel with the caster sugar remove from the heat and carefully add in the orange juice. Remove from the heat and add the segments.
3 Allow to marinate for 30 minutes, before draining off any excess liquid.
For the Chocolate Mousse:
• 75ml Whipping cream
• 75ml Milk
• 30g Egg yolks
• 15g Caster sugar
• 200ml Whipping cream
• 160g Dark chocolate 66% (finely chopped)
Method
1 Place the whipping cream 75g and the milk into a pan and bring to the boil. Meanwhile, whisk the egg yolks and sugar together in a large mixing bowl until the mix becomes light in colour, about 2-3 minutes.
2 When the milk has boiled, pour half of it onto the egg yolk and sugar mixture and mix thoroughly.
3 Pour this mix back into the pan and cook over a low heat, stirring continuously, until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. (82-84°C)
4 Take off the heat and pass through a fine sieve (strainer) onto the chopped chocolate in a mixing bowl.
5 Using a spatula, mix until smooth and emulsified and leave to cool.
6 Place the whipping cream into a mixing bowl and whisk until soft peaks form. Alternatively, whisk in an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment.
7 Carefully fold the whipped cream into the chocolate mixture and use immediately.
For the Dark Chocolate Glacage:
• 18g leaf gelatine
• 235g water
• 400g caster sugar
• 100g cocoa powder sifted
• 170g whipping (pouring) cream
Method
1 Soak the gelatine in a bowl of ice-cold water for a few minutes until soft. Squeeze to remove any excess water.
2 Put the water and sugar in a saucepan, bring to the boil, and then continue to simmer over a low heat for 2–3 minutes.
3 Add the sifted cocoa powder and the cream.
4 Bring back to the boil and simmer for 4–5 minutes.
5 Take the pan off the heat, add the pre-soaked gelatine and stir until dissolved. Strain, then leave to cool.
To Assemble:
• 500g Orange Marmalade
• Chocolate Decoration
• Dried orange zest, Gold
You will also need: 60mm tart moulds, 60mm dome mould
Method
1 Prepare the orange marmalade, the chocolate pate sucree and the caramelised oranges.
Make the chocolate mousse. Line the mince pie tins with mousse and place two segments of orange into each.
2 Top up with mousse and flatten with a small stepped palette knife. Place in freezer to set for a minimum of 2 hours
3 Roll out pastry to 3mm thick and line the tartlet cases. Rest for one hour in the fridge.
Remove tarts from the fridge and pipe 8-10gms marmalade into the base of each one.
4 Pipe a bulb of frangipane on the top and rest in the fridge for 30 minutes. Prepare the chocolate glacage and allow to cool.
5 Preheat oven to 180°c. Bake the tarts for 15 minutes approximately.
6 Allow to cool and demould from the tartlet case. If necessary, level the tops of the tarts off using a serrated knife.
7 Demould the mousse from the mince pie moulds and place on glazing rack. Glaze with the glacage and place on top of each tartlet,
8 Decorate with dried orange zest, a chocolate stick and gold leaf.
Recipe courtesy of William Curley, extracted from Nostalgic Delights, published by Quarto
