I recently came across a little black notebook in my Mother’s small box of treasures (lost her in 1997). It is stuffed full of recipes, scribbled on every page front and back. I have no idea where she gleaned them all from, but I do remember her being a very keen home cook, and raising three children under 5 she had to be! She loved to watch all the ‘cookie’ programs as she called them, especially Keith Floyd who enjoyed a tipple or two while he cooked and traveled world-wide. She was always so interested in dishes from other countries and travel intrigued her.
So today, I am re-opening this little black notebook to share many of the recipes my darling Mum so painstakingly recorded – I am sure she would be delighted to know that others will enjoy cooking them as she once did.
Chocolate Pear Tart
Ingredients:
115g/4oz Butter
200g/7oz Plain flour
1 egg
60g/2oz Cocoa powder
115g/4oz Caster sugar
60g/2oz Orange marmelade
2 – 3 large Pears (peeled, cored, sliced)
Filling:
95g/3.5oz Plain chocolate
60g/2oz Butter
2 eggs
60g/2oz Caster sugar
Method:
Make the dough using the butter, flour, sugar, cocoa powder and egg.
Allow to rest for 30 minutes
Then carefully roll out and line a 8-9inch round baking pan with a loose bottom (release lever on side)
The dough will be thick and soft, so you will need to press it down into the baking pan with a heavy flat object
Spread the marmalade over the dough, then cover with slices of pear to cover the whole top.
To make the filling:- Melt the chocolate and butter in a small saucepan over a low heat
Separate the eggs and beat the yolks in a bowl with the sugar.
Whip the egg whites in a separate until stiff
Combine the ingredients, first adding the chocolate and egg yolks mixture, and then gently folding in the stiff egg whites
Pour this mixture over the pears and bake in a pre-heated oven at 350F/180C for 40 minutes
Cool and serve with thick cream or vanilla ice cream!
