Chilli Chocolate and Caramel Tart

Method

1. 1

   Whiz flour, cocoa, icing sugar, butter and zest together in a processor .

2. 2

   Add 1–2 teaspoons water and pulse until it starts coming together in big clumpy breadcrumbs.

3. 3

   Tip onto a clean bench and squish together into a big fat disc, wrap in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for 10 minutes. Remove the pastry from the fridge, sit for 5 more minutes then roll out between two pieces of baking paper until it is a few centimetres bigger in diameter than the tart tin.

4. 4

   Carefully remove one side of baking paper and put this side down into the tin, remove the top baking paper and ease the pastry into the tin. Press firmly into the sides and base then trim excess from the top. Don't worry if a bit of patching is required – no-one will ever see.

5. 5

   Prick the base gently with a fork and pop in the fridge while the oven preheats to 180˚C. (Save left-over scraps of pastry to patch any cracks after the first bake). Line the pastry with a circle of baking paper and fill with baking beans or rice and bake for 10 minutes.

6. 6

   While it is cooking put the condensed milks, butter and golden syrup in a large microwave proof bowl. Heat in 30 second bursts, whisking between each until it is smooth and luscious. Once the base has baked for 10 minutes remove the baking paper and baking beans from pastry case and cook a further 10 minutes, then patch any cracks with leftover pastry dough and pour caramel filling into base. Cook a last 10–15 minutes until the filling is set and the pastry cooked through.

7. 7

   Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 15 minutes. While it is cooling, heat the cream until it is simmering, remove from the heat and drop in dark chocolate. Leave for a minute then add chilli powder and orange zest and whisk to combine until smooth. (If necessary heat again briefly to encourage the chocolate melting).

8. 8

   Sit for 10 minutes then pour chocolate filling over caramel and leave to set – this will take at least 3 hours, but you can easily make it until this point the day (or even 2 days) before. Don’t store it in the fridge unless it’s really hot, but if you do, remove it from the fridge half an hour before serving.