Chocolate Tart with Pickled Champagne Pears

Ingredients

• 200 g Flour
• 100 g sugar
• 125 g butter
• 1 egg
• 0.5 tsp orange zest
• flour (for dusting)
• butter (for the baking dish)
• 3 pears
• 1 lemon (juice)
• 375 ml champagne (or sparkling wine)
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1 vanilla pod
• 300 g dark chocolate couverture
• 100 g butter
• 2 Eggs
• 1 egg yolk
• 75 g sugar
• 20 ml pear brandy
• 125 ml whipping cream

Instructions

1. 1.

   Sift the flour onto a work surface and form a well in the center. Distribute the sugar and butter pieces over it, then crack the egg into the middle. Add the orange zest and crumble everything together with a pastry cutter or knife. Quickly knead by hand into a smooth dough; add cold water or more flour if needed. Wrap in cling film and chill for about 30 minutes.

2. 2.

   Peel, quarter, core, and cut the pears into slices. Drizzle with lemon juice. Bring the champagne, sugar, and split vanilla pod to a boil. Add the pear slices and bring back to a boil. Remove from heat, let steep, then cool.

3. 3.

   Preheat the oven to 180 °C (356 °F) with fan and top heating. Butter the tart tin.

4. 4.

   Roll out the dough on floured surface and line the tin. Prick the base with a fork several times and blind bake for about 20 minutes.

5. 5.

   Melt the chocolate over a double boiler, then stir in room‑temperature butter and set aside. Whisk the eggs with sugar over a double boiler, adding pear brandy until creamy; fold in the chocolate. Heat the cream and pour into the mixture while stirring.

6. 6.

   Remove the tart base from the oven and spread the filling on top. Decoratively arrange the pears and bake for another 20 minutes.

7. 7.

   Let cool slightly before serving warm or cold as desired.