Chocolate Liquorice Tarts Two Ways

The first of my own adventures into pairing chocolate and liquorice and probably the first of many!

I wasn't sure if cream cheese would go with liquorice, so I thought it best to try a choc-cream-cheese filling and a chocolate ganache. I preferred the cream cheese filling in the end as its a little sweeter and the flavour was a bit more interesting - in a good way! - compared with the dark chocolate ganache.  

6 Tart Bases
- Using GF Digestive recipe
The ingredients
100g buckwheat flour
100g gluten free oats
1 tsp xanthan gum
1 tsp baking powder
50g xylitol
100g salted softened butter
2 tablespoons of non-diary milk

The method
Pre-heat oven to 180C.

Place greaseproof paper on a large baking tray.

Grind the oats in a blender until a powdery texture.

Mix all the dry ingredients together in a large bowl.

Add the butter and mix until crumbly consistency.

Add the milk and mix into a smooth smooth.

Place in the fridge for 15 minutes (any longer and the dough will become too hard).

Spread the dough out evenly over the 6 tart cases.

Bake for 15 minutes.

These need to be allowed to cool completely before putting the topping on.

The Middle Layer
1) ChocCream Chesse (enough for 3 tarts)
250g Lacto-free or vegan cream cheese
1tsp vanilla extract
5tbsp unrefined icing sugar
3tbsp cocoa powder (sugar free)

Empty the cream cheese into a bowl and mixture with a spatula.

Add the vanilla and mix it in.

Add the icing sugar and incorporate thoroughly (using spatula).

Finally add the cocoa powder and mix in thoroughly.

This can be done at any time and kept in the fridge with cling film over the top.

2) Chocolate Ganache (enough for 3 tarts)
100g  xylitol chocolate
100 ml soya cream

Break up the chocolate into a bowl.

Bring  soya cream to the boil.

Add the cream to the bowl and mix together until smooth.

What I learnt this time around (this was the first time I made choc ganache). Its easy to spread when its warm - it becomes very thick when put in the fridge and not particular spreadable... so I'm either going to have to try a different ganache recipe or this needs to be made just before you what put spread it on the tarts.

The Top Layer
(In the style of Nigella) Chocolate Liquorice  Rubble 
This is enough for the 6 tarts




100g  xylitol chocolate
100g of Liquorice

Break up the chocolate into a blender and blend until the chocolate is in small chunks.

The liquorice will need to be chopped into small bits by hand (I found it doesn't break up in the blender).

Mix the two together and distribute evenly over the tarts.

I got sugar, gluten, lactofree liquorice from here http://www.liquorice-licorice.co.uk/sugar-free-sweet-dutch-liquorice-100gr-zd38-46-p.asp 'everything' free liquorice is not widely available & it does have a pretty strong taste!