Chocolate and Prune Tart

Soak the prunes in the Armagnac or port in a sealed container in the fridge for at least 6 hours or up to a week.

Put the flour, cocoa, sugar and butter in a food processor and whizz to form breadcrumbs. Add the water and pulse until the mixture starts to form clumps. Tip out onto a clean bench and squash together, then pat into a round. Refrigerate for 15 minutes, then roll out between two sheets of baking paper into a circle a few centimetres larger than your tin. Gently remove the top layer of baking paper and invert the pastry into the tin. Press in and trim the edges. Refrigerate for 15 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 180°C fan bake.

Line the pastry shell with baking paper, fill with baking beans or rice and bake for 12 minutes. Remove the beans and paper and cook for a further 10 minutes, until lightly crisp. Cool in the tin.

filling: Heat the cream in a pot until just simmering, then remove from the heat and add the chocolate. Let it sit for a few minutes, then whisk until smooth. Drain the port from the prunes and whisk it into the chocolate. If necessary, return to a very gentle heat for a minute to complete the melting. Leave to cool for 15 minutes. Dot the drained prunes into the cooked tart base and pour over the chocolate mixture. Refrigerate for 2 hours.

optional topping: Heat the cream in a pot until just simmering, then remove from the heat and add the chocolate. Let it sit for a few minutes, then whisk until smooth. Cool for half an hour, or until of a very thick pouring consistency, then pour down the centre of the chilled tart. Refrigerate again for at least 2 hours, then remove from the fridge half an hour before serving.