Almond and Chocolate Tartlets

Last week I bought myself a Kenwood Chef. Not as good looking as a KitchenAid, but it's performance is better (I realise that may sound a bit bias). And, after giving it pride of place in my kitchen I was itching to use it.

Now, I've got loads of ground almonds in the cupboard, so the challenge was to find a recipe that meant I could use both the almonds and the Chef. Luckily, my Mum and sent me some food magazines that I subscribe to, but hadn't changed the delivery address yet. In Delicious., happened to be a recipe for Amandine Tart - basically a fancy Bakewell Tart without the jam.

I didn't just want to lift the recipe, by chef Richard Bertinet, so I adapted it to suit something else I had in the cupboard. Cocoa powder. Good quality cocoa powder, too. I had looked up other recipes for amandine tarts online, but they all seemed to involve blueberries. No, chocolate was the way forward for me. 

Almond and Chocolate Tartlets

Adapted from Richard Bertinet, in Delicious.

As I said, the most obvious change I've made is the inclusion of cocoa powder, but I've also added vanilla extract. Other changes I've made are minor (egg size, unsalted butter, cheat's pastry). 

Serves 4

75g unsalted butter, soft and cubed plus extra for greasing

75g caster sugar

75g ground almonds

2tsp cocoa powder

1tsp vanilla extract

1tbsp plain flour

1 medium egg

1 pack of ready rolled sweet pastry

1tbsp flaked almonds

Icing sugar to dust

Preheat oven 180°C.

Beat the butter and sugar until light, then gradually mix in the ground almonds, cocoa powder and vanilla. Continue to beat and add the flour and egg until fully incorporated. Place in the fridge for 10 minutes. 

Grease four tartlet tins with a little butter and line with the pastry, allowing it to droop over the sides. Blind bake them by using putting some crumpled up baking parchment on top of each one and weighing it down with baking beans. Bake for 10 minutes. 

Share out the chocolate and almond paste into each tart, scatter the flaked almonds over the top and return to the oven for 30 minutes. 

Allow to cool for 10-15 minutes then cut of the excess pastry around the edges. Dust with icing sugar  and serve.