Nonetheless! Thanks to the generosity of Moro’s chefs, I can make them all at home! And cook I did, with the dark chocolate and apricot tart. They said you can use the apricot paste “amradeen,” found in Lebanese shops, but I chose to chop up dried apricots finely instead.

While the recipe calls for 180g of apricots, I actually used 500g — I wanted a really strong taste to match the bitterness of the dark chocolate layer, and after scoffing half the tart since making it, I’m so glad I did.

No, wait — it was only a third of the tart, as I gave our neighbour two slices. Phew — conscience saved!

For this recipe, you’ll need to have created a sweet pastry shell beforehand. Moro’s recipe calls for:

140g plain flour
30g icing sugar
75g butter, cut into small pieces
1 egg yolk

Flour and icing sugar should be sifted together, then mixed together with the butter thrown in. When it resembles breadcrumbs, throw in the egg yolk and add some milk if it looks too dry. Shape into a ball, wrap in clingwrap, and stick in the fridge for an hour. When that hour’s up, grate the pastry into a greased tin, and then pop it in the fridge for half an hour. Once the time is up, stick it in an oven at 220 degrees, for 10 – 15 mins.

Filling recipe:

180g apricot paste, or dried apricots. I used 500g, which I strongly recommend.
4 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons lemon juice
135g unsalted butter
110g dark chocolate
2 large eggs
60g caster sugar

Chop dried apricots finely, and pop in a small saucepan along with the water and lemon juice. Simmer for five minutes or so, until it gets smoother and more paste-like. If you’re using the paste, do the same thing. Then, puree in a blender until it’s smoother. I didn’t worry too much about getting all the lumps out, as wanted some texture. Spread the paste onto the cool tart shell, and leave to set for 15 mins or so.

Prepare a bain marie with two saucepans, and place the chocolate and butter in the top saucepan. While it’s melting, whisk the eggs and sugar together until light, and then fold into the chocolate mix. Once fully melted and mixed, spoon it over the apricot tart, and bake in the oven for 25 mins, at 180 degrees. I gave pulled mine out a little early, and it had a nice wobble to it. The first night, I served warm with creme fraiche, and the next day (after it had been in the fridge) it was even better served cold.

This is definitely one of the better desserts I’ve made, and has soared straight up to the top of my baking repertoire. It’s also lit a firecracker under my backside, as I’m now desperate to make a date at Moro (or its tapas little brother, Morito) with Gemma and Darika ASAP.

]]> http://katherinehannaford.com/2011/01/03/food-diaries-moros-dark-chocolate-and-apricot-tart/feed/ 3 http://katherinehannaford.com/2010/02/28/food-diaries-hummingbird-bakery-key-lime-pie/ http://katherinehannaford.com/2010/02/28/food-diaries-hummingbird-bakery-key-lime-pie/#comments Sun, 28 Feb 2010 21:31:37 +0000 Kat Hannaford http://katherinehannaford.com/?p=21 Continue reading →]]>

I first made this pie a few months after getting back from San Francisco with Jim, Laura and Ricky. We had our first (of many, I hope!) San Francisco reunion at Laura’s, where we had the pie with other SF-themed food: clam chowder, prawn sandwiches, lots and lots of prosecco…

The second time was on the weekend when Gemma, Darika, Kate and Libby came over for the Twilight movie night. I forgot to take a photo before we munched on it (well, everyone except Darika, who had to run for her train), so what you see above is the crumbled remains the next day, sans whipped cream.

So, due to popular demand (Kate), here’s the Hummingbird Bakery recipe…

Recipe

Filling
- 8 egg yolks
- 2 397-gram tins of condensed milk
- freshly squeezed juice and grated zest of 5 limes (I can never be bothered grating zest, lest I finish with Madonna arms, so I use the juice of 6 limes instead. And use a sneaky dribble of green food colouring – which the recipe says not to use as the zest will provide the colour.)
- 450ml whipped cream

Crust
- 500 grams digestive biscuits
- 200 grams unsalted butter, melted

Preheat the oven to 170 degrees

For the crust
Roughly break up the digestive biscuits and put them in a food processor (I do about four lots). Process until finely ground. Put the crumbs in a large mixing bowl, and pour the melted butter in, and stir. Press the mixture into the base and neatly up the side of the prepared pie dish, using a tablespoon to flatten and compress.

Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, until deep golden and firm. Set aside to cool completely.

Turn the oven down to 150 degrees.

Put the egg yolks, condensed milk and lime juice in a mixing bowl, and mix with a whisk until everything’s smooth. It’ll thicken as you go.

Pour into the cold pie crust and bake in the oven for 20 – 30 minutes. Pull it out when it’s firm to the touch, and not at all wobbly. Leave to cool completely, and put in the fridge for at least an hour (I make it the previous day).

Serve with whipped cream on top.

- If you’re wondering what to do with the leftover eight egg whites, try this white cake recipe. I made it the day after the pie got eaten, using the whites I’d refrigerated, and it was delicious. Light and fluffy, with a slightly sticky and caramelised top. Didn’t even add icing. The recipe calls for just six egg whites, but I increased the whole recipe by a third so I could use all eight whites.