This is one of the simplest recipes you could imagine. But, don’t let that fool you into thinking it does not taste or look that impressive. For me, all recipes should be about the taste above the looks. As much as I like my food to look good, this has to be backed up by food that tastes good.
I have eaten out many times and found the food to have the wow factor in presentation only to be disappointed by the flavour or lack of. So, here is a simple but tasty recipe. What is special, or at least a bit of a revelation to me, is this chocolate pastry recipe. I am pastry obsessive. It has to be short, light, flaky and have the ability to melt in moments. It is one of my favourite cooking pastimes. Making a good pastry is as rewarding to me as baking a good loaf of bread.
When looking for a recipe to use for these jam tarts, I looked through lots of books before I came across a pretty perfect sounding recipe that included a good amount of butter and an egg yolk for extra richness. It also contains icing sugar and unsweetened cocoa powder, a pinch of salt and ideally “OO” flour. I didn’t have any Italian flour, but I can honestly say that this pastry is one to try if you happen to love chocolate and pastry as much as I do.
As I have not changed the recipe in any way, I will not reproduce it here on my blog for copyright reasons. But, it came from Chantal Coady’s book (owner of ROCOCO chocolates & Shop) “Real Chocolate“. It is a favourite of mine and her version of The River Cafe’s Chocolate Nemesis is truly amazing! A very good book indeed.
This was not my intended recipe for entering into WE SHOULD COCOA and TEA TIME TREATS this month. Sadly, there were no blackcurrants to be found either at the allotment (well no more than a teeny handful) or in the shops/supermarkets. So, I browsed the jam section and tarts sprang to mind. Here are my chocolate & blackcurrant jam tarts. A combination that does actually work and tastes even better with a dollop of fresh whipped cream on top!
So these little tarts are my entry for both WE SHOULD COCOA (Theme is blackcurrants) hosted by Choclette (We should Cocoa original host) of CHOCOLATE LOG BLOG and TEA TIME TREATS (Theme is cake stall cakes) co-hosted by Karen at LAVENDER & LOVAGE and Kate at WHAT KATE BAKED.
Chocolate Jam Tarts
Ingredients :- Makes 24 jam tarts approx
1 jar of blackcurrant jam
1 quantity of chocolate pastry (recipe found HERE) The pastry includes butter, “OO” flour, egg yolk, icing sugar, cocoa.
Method :-
Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees.
Butter a mini bun tin and prepare the chocolate pastry then let it rest.
Roll out the pastry not too thinly and cut out shapes large enough to fill the bun tin moulds.
Fill with 1 teaspoon of blackcurrant jam spreading it out to cover the base of the jam tart.
Bake in the oven for 10 minutes.
Cool on a wire rack and then serve with some freshly whipped double cream (optional but good!)
lovely recipe as always. I do like the extra of cream on top of the tarts. I too will be using jam as could not find frexh blackcurrants. I too am a pastry obsessive and love making it at home. Must try chocolate pastry
I know, good pastry is so satisfying and tastes a million miles apart from any shop bought. Chocolate is so good too, providing the recipe is a good one!!
I have all of those things – yes yes a thousand times yes – I am going to make some now
Great Amee, nothing like a tart made from good jam and good pastry 🙂 xx
Thank you so much for entering these terrific tarts into TTT! I’m a bit of a novice when it comes to pastry but this chocolate pastry recipe sounds fantastic- thank you for the recommendation!
Hi Kate, I would recommend it. A good pastry is something special in my mind!
BRILLIANT recipe Laura and I ADORE blackcurrant jam, one of my favourites and I bet it is just amazing with chocolate pastry! CLEVER recipe! Thanks for entering it into Tea Time Treats! Karen
Karen, I love blackcurrant jam too. But, amazingly it works so well with chocolate….bit of a revelation!
I love a simple dessert! This looks delicious and beautiful.
Hi Jen, thanks for commenting. It is so simple, hardly even a recipe!
These are just gorgeous… love them. And they’re so simple to make. Thanks for sharing.
Hi Tania, yes sometimes easy can be good and tasty too!
I so rarely make my own pastry (I know but I just find it such a faff) but have found myself being drawn to chocolate pastry recently so am going to have to get cracking I think! These sound lovely and the simple things are often the best.
I understand, but why not think of it as being no harder than putting together a crumble. That is all that crumble mix is after all, just un-stuck pastry!
Very clever. Never made chocolate pastry and I understand it is not easy to do, your tarts look great and no doubt have a real depth of flavour.
Thanks Janice, I cannot say whether this pastry is difficult to make. But, to me, it’s no more so then regular pastry. But, it does take a fair bit of handling but never any over handling. I guess that makes it sounds pretty tricky. Well it is a love of mine and I have yet to master macarons remember!
homemade pastry is so much better, never made choc versions though, and very interesting that you use 00 flour, must give that a try myself! the jam tarts look lovely x
Thanks Shu Han. I love this pastry and it tasted great, not too sweet but lovely and light!
These look really great…and they make me want to give chocolate pastry a go!
Hi Paula, yes do, it is so lovely :))
I stumbled across your recipe for this chocolate jam tart and this looks really yummy! I’ve never tried tarts with a chocolate pastry base before so thanks for posting 🙂 By they way, you mentioned ’00’ flour, do you think it really makes a difference to using normal plain flour? Thanks!
Well I used plain flour myself as I didn’t have any “OO” flour so yes, it does work. But, OO flour is really finely milled so I guess it produces a very delicate pastry. Be sure not to one handle/work it!
Ok, thanks! I may try to get my hands on some 00 flour to taste the texture 🙂
Love the idea of that buttery chocolatey pastry and it’s such a lovely combination with the blackcurrant jam.
Thanks Kathryn, I am surprised how well it works, but it does!
I was instantly intrigued when you mentioned these on twitter and yes, I know it has taken me ages to get over here. I am so disappointed after seeing your description of the pastry that there is no recipe, but I understand why you didn’t post it 🙁
I know, I probably should have adapted it. But, it did not need adapting sadly! x
Oh wow Laura, you have taken jam tarts to a whole new level. These sound delicious and are an inspired entry to WSC. I am so liking the idea of one of these warm with a big blob of clotted cream on top. I have Chantel’s book, but have never used this recipe. Thank you
Sorry to hear your blackcurrants haven’t faired to well or is it just that they aren’t ready yet?
Sadly they were not ready and I had to make the recipe that weekend or else it would not have been made :(x
What a great idea for ‘WSC’…so simple yet so effective…a perfect combination!! I might have to make these as my dad loves Jam tarts! 🙂
Oh yes do make them for your dad, bet he would love them!
I don’t think I have made chocolate pastry before but the combination here with the blackcurrants sounds delicious! I love jam tarts – there is something so nostalgic about them.