Tarte au chocolate with hazelnut ice cream, chocolate macarons and pot de crème

For the ice-cream, use a free-standing mixer or an electric hand-held beater and whisk the 4 eggs and 150g castor sugar until light and fluffy. Set aside until needed. Place the 250ml (1 cup) milk, 750ml (3 cups) fresh cream and the vanilla pod in a large saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Once boiling, discard the vanilla pod and add the contents of the saucepan to the egg mixture in a slow stream while beating on low speed. Add the chopped hazelnuts and continue to beat on low speed until the mixture has cooled slightly, about 5 minutes.

Place the mixture in the fridge to chill, at least 1 hour, before churning in an ice cream maker, according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Transfer to a freezer-proof container and freeze to firm up, about 4 hours. If you do not have an ice cream maker, place the mixture in a freezer-proof bowl and freeze, about 2 – 3 hours. Just before frozen (it will be thick, but almost liquid), beat with an electric mixer until smooth and fluffy. Return to the freezer until completely frozen.

For the cocoa pastry, place the 120g butter, 90g icing sugar, 15g ground almonds, egg, pinch salt, 25g cocoa powder and 60g cake flour in a large mixing bowl. Use a free-standing mixer or an electric hand-held beater and whisk until the mixture is well combined – be careful not to overmix. Add the remaining 150g cake flour and mix to form a dough.

On a floured surface, roll the dough out to form a rough circle large enough to cover a tart tin with a diameter of 28cm. Transfer the pastry circle to the tart tin and press into the base and up the sides. Place in the freezer until the pastry case is set, overnight. In the meantime, preheat the oven to 170°C. Once the pastry case has chilled, line it with baking paper, fill with baking beans, pulses or rice and blind-bake in the preheated oven, about 13 – 16 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside until needed.

For the macarons, place the egg whites in the bowl of a hand-held/free-standing mixer. The bowl must be scrupulously clean and dry or the whites won’t reach full volume. Set aside until needed. Combine the 250g icing sugar and water in a saucepan over medium heat and stir continuously until the sugar has dissolved, about 5 minutes. Increase the heat and bring the mixture to a boil. Stop stirring after the sugar has dissolved. Using a sugar thermometer, measure the temperature until the mixture reaches 110°C. Remove from heat. Start beating the egg whites on medium-high speed, adding the sugar syrup in a slow stream while the beater is mixing. Continue to beat on high speed until the mixture reaches stiff peaks and the bowl is cool to the touch. The mixture should be smooth and glossy. Set aside until needed.

Preheat the oven to 145°C. Place the 200g ground almonds, 50g cocoa powder and 250g castor sugar in a blender and blitz until smooth. Add the other 90g egg whites and blend to form a paste. Transfer the paste to a large mixing bowl and fold in a third of the beaten egg mixture. Add the rest of the mixture and fold to combine, trying to keep as much air in the mixture as possible. Transfer the mixture to a piping bag fitted with a plain nozzle. On a non-stick baking mat, pipe small circles (approximately 2cm in diameter), leaving about 1cm of space between each macaroon. Once all of the mixture has been used, gently pick up the tray and lightly bang it against a flat surface to release the air. Set aside – preferably in a warm room – to dry slightly, about 15 – 20 minutes. Bake in the preheated oven until the macaroons are crisp, about 9 – 12 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside until needed. Increase the oven temperature to 170°C.

For the chocolate tart filling, place the 200g butter and 200g dark chocolate in a microwave-safe jug and microwave in 15-second bursts until the mixture has melted. In a separate bowl, whisk the 3 extra-large eggs, 5 extra-large egg yolks and 45g castor sugar until combined. Add the egg mixture to the melted butter and chocolate and blitz, using a stick blender. Pour the mixture into the pastry lined tart tin and bake in the preheated oven until the tart filling is set, about 10 – 12 minutes. Keep an eye on the tart as it can overbake easily.

For the dark chocolate ganache, place the 250ml (1 cup) cream in a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. In a separate bowl break the 250g dark chocolate into shards and add the boiling cream. Set aside to let the chocolate melt, about 5 minutes, before stirring to combine. Cover with cling film (making sure to have the cling film touch the surface of the ganache) and set aside until needed.

For the pot de crème, increase the oven temperature to 180°C. Place the 145g castor sugar and 10 ml (2 tsp) water in a pot and bring to a boil over medium heat, about 5 minutes. Place the 485ml fresh cream and 160ml milk in a separate saucepan and simmer until heated through. Add the heated cream mixture to the sugar mixture and stir to combine. In the meantime, place the 6 extra-large egg yolks and 200g white chocolate in a separate mixing bowl. In a steady stream, add the hot sugar mixture to the eggs and chocolate in the mixing bowl and whisk to combine.

Using a fine-mesh sieve, strain the mixture as you pour it into an ovenproof dish. Transfer the dish to a deep baking tray filled with water (be sure to have enough water to reach the rim of the ovenproof dish). Wrap the tray in tinfoil and bake, 30 – 40 minutes. Remove from oven and refrigerate until set.

For the hazelnut and cocoa streusel, reduce the oven temperature to 170°C. Place the 250g castor sugar, 400g cake flour, 60g cocoa powder and 7,5g salt in a large mixing bowl and whisk to combine. Slowly add the 200g melted butter, using your fingertips to incorporate the butter into the mixture. Transfer to a flat baking tray and bake in the preheated oven, about 10 minutes. Remove from oven and add the 75g crushed hazelnuts and set aside to cool slightly, about 10 minutes.

Garnish the chocolate tart with a sprinkle of hazelnut and cocoa streusel. Serve with a scoop of hazelnut ice cream, a few macaroons and the pot de crème alongside.