Sticky Toffee and Chocolate Pudding Tarts
Photography Aaron McLean.
What’s not to love about a dessert that combines a tart and a pudding and is then topped with ice cream and warm toffee sauce.
Serves: 8
INGREDIENTS
4 sheets pre-rolled sweet short-crust pastry
Filling
1 cup chopped dates
2/3 cup milk
½ teaspoon baking soda
50 grams butter, very soft but not melted
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 egg
2 tablespoons golden syrup
2 tablespoons chopped glacé ginger, optional
50 grams roughly chopped dark chocolate
1 cup plain flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Toffee sauce
200 grams butter
¾ cup brown sugar
½ cup cream
dash of brandy or other liqueur if desired
vanilla ice-cream to serve
8 x 150 m capacity muffin tins, lightly greased.
METHOD
Preheat the oven to 180˚C.
Cut out 8 x 13 cm circles of pastry and line the tins. Cover and chill until firm. Bake blind for 12 minutes then remove the paper and beans. Reduce the temperature to 150˚C and bake for a further 3 minutes until lightly golden. Cool.
Preheat the oven to 160˚C.
Filling: Put the dates, milk and baking soda in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Leave for 30 minutes then mash to a paste. Scrape into a large bowl and stir in the butter, sugar, egg, golden syrup and ginger until well combined. Add the remaining ingredients and gently mix together until combined. Don’t over-mix or the filling will be tough when cooked. Divide the mixture between the tart cases and bake for 25 minutes or until just firm to the touch.
Toffee sauce: Melt the butter and brown sugar in a medium saucepan then bring to the boil.
Carefully stir in the cream and liqueur if using and simmer for 5 minutes. Re-heat to serve if making ahead.
To serve: Gently lift the tarts out of the tins and place on plates. Top with a scoop of ice cream and drizzle with warm toffee sauce, serving the remaining sauce separately.
To bake blind: line a prepared pastry case with baking paper and fill with pie weights or dried beans. The beans support the pastry as it cooks. Bake in a preheated 190˚C - 200˚C oven for up to 20 minutes before removing the paper and weights. The shell should now have taken form. Return to the oven for the time specified in the recipe.
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This winter issue of dish is about comfort and connection. Celebrating the best of New Zealand and Australian produce, it brings together recipes from some of our most-loved chefs, including Moroccan Chicken Soup, Mint-glazed Roasted Leg of Lamb, Slow Cooker Braised Red Wine and Miso White Chocolate Cheesecake. Find plenty to carry you through the colder months, from flaky sausage rolls and mushroom pie, to soul-soothing pasta, nostalgic baking, weekend market inspiration and dinner party menus. There’s a spotlight on the Outstanding Food Producer Awards, recipes from Caroline Griffiths’ Midnight Spaghetti, and a deep dive into the difference between Kiwi syrah and Aussie shiraz.