Oh my! Chocolate and Raspberry (low fodmap) Tart

This is a recipe that has been made in my family for years. 21sts, 18ths, 40ths, etc. There are several cooking notes so it’s worth reading the recipe in full first before you dive in. Yes, it’s a faff but… it’s the most decadent, delicious and absolutely glorious tart. The original recipe is from “The Ultimate Encyclopaedia of Chocolate” (1997) by McFadden and France. However, it required many tweaks to adapt it to be fodmap friendly and the blackberry sauce was untenable. That said - the tart and the ganache filling are fabulous. And do read to the bottom of the page for a single serve idea!

INGREDIENTS

For the tart case:

• 115g unsalted butter, softened

• 115g caster sugar

• Pinch salt

• 15ml/1 tbsp vanilla essence

• 50g cocoa powder

• 175g gluten free all-purpose flour

For the ganache filling:

• 475ml lactose-free heavy/dollop cream

• 150g raspberry jam

• 225g 70%+ dark chocolate, chopped into smaller pieces

• 25g unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

Decoration:

• fresh raspberries (use sparingly so as not to go overboard on fructans & fructose)

• 20g pistachio, finely chopped or blitzed

METHOD

1. Cream the room temperature butter, sugar, salt and vanilla until creamy. Add the cocoa and continue processing for another minute. Add all the flour at once, then pulse for 10-15 seconds. Don’t over mix. Place a piece of baking paper on your kitchen bench. Turn out the dough and work into a flat disc about the approx. size of your tart and wrap tightly with more baking paper and/or clear film. Chill for 1 hour.

2. Lightly grease a tart tin with a removable base. Mine was 25cm. Take the dough out of the fridge to soften for 5-10 mins before attempting to roll. Using baking paper or more glad wrap, roll out to fit your tin. Ease the dough into the tin and press the dough onto the base and sides of the tart tin. Use the rolling pin over the edge to cut off any excess dough. A clean edge looks best. Prick the base with a fork. Chill for 1 hour.

3. Preheat the oven to 180C. Line the tart case with baking paper and fill with baking beans (or rice) and bake blind for 10 mins. Remove the beans and baking paper and bake for another 5 mins until the pasty is set. Cool in the tin on a wire rack.

4. Prepare the ganache filling. In a saucepan, bring the cream and jelly to the boil. Remove the heat and add the chocolate - stirring until melted and smooth. Stir in the butter and then strain into the cooled tart shell. Cool the tart COMPLETELY before putting in the fridge. The ganache doesn’t like sudden changes in temperature so let it sit on the kitchen bench to cool before putting it in the fridge to set. Plus, if you put it in the fridge too quickly, the cream can separate so be patient!

5. While you may be tempted to decorate with raspberries in advance, don’t! The raspberries “leak” and ruin the perfect chocolate surface so add raspberries and pistachios just before serving.

SHORT ON TIME?

So what happens when you’re really short on time but really want to give the recipe a go? I found some pre-made sweet mini square cases from my local grocer. They’re made with wheat flour and butter. Each case weighed 5g so just a tiny amount of fructan and lactose in the case. I added 2 tbsp of chocolate ganache (using the recipe above) so felt quite comfortable eating 1 tartlet without the risk of any fodmap stacking or over-indulging. This is a fantastic approach when you really want to TRY desert but you don’t want too much! Plus, it takes half the time.