Chocolate & Almond Tart With Meringue Top

Don't be put off by the number of ingredients and stages, it isn't really all that difficult and the results really are worth the effort. :)

• Ready In: 1 hr 10 mins
• Serves: 12

Ingredients

• 280  g  shortcrust pastry, ready rolled makes life easier
• 75  g butter
• 300  g sugar
• 1  teaspoon vanilla extract
• 175  g  ground almonds or 175  g  almond flour
• 6  teaspoons cocoa powder
• 5  tablespoons milk
• 4  eggs, separated
• 1  egg, whole
• 1  teaspoon cider vinegar
• 1  pinch salt
• 1  tablespoon  sliced almonds, Toasted

Directions

1. Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees.
2. Blind back the Pastry in a 10” flan tin for 10mins. Making sure to prick it all over first so that it doesn’t rise. Use baking beans if you have them or rice works well too.
3. Soften Butter in a bowl with a wooden spoon.
4. Whisk in 75g Sugar until pale in colour.
5. Whisk in Egg Yolks and one whole Egg. Keep egg whites in a perfectly clean separate bowl for later.
6. Add Vanilla extract to Milk and stir into butter and sugar mixture.
7. Sift Cocoa with Almond Flour into the mix and continue to whisk.
8. Pour mixture, which should feel a little grainy in texture, into the pastry case and bake for 35 to 40 minutes until the tart is cooked through.
9. While the tart is baking, whisk the Egg Whites with a pinch of salt until stiff to make meringue.
10. Whisk in Cider Vinegar and slowly add the rest of the Sugar, whisking all the time.
11. Ten minutes before the end of cooking time, top the tart with the meringue and continue cooking until the meringue is lightly golden.
12. Sprinkle with toasted Almonds to finish.