Choco Orange Tarts

I have happened to make these tarts during the week as a light dessert. These came out better than I had expected to be honest. They weren't as sweet as I thought they were going to be and they had a delicate orange scent to it.

In the recipe, it suggests to use Grand Mariner or Cointreau but I've substituted it with concentrated orange juice for a non-alcohol dessert. I'm sure these little choc treats would look more dainty if they were to be "dusted with icing sugar"!

The recipe yields a large tart however I made them again the following day as they were so well loved. However, this time I experimented with them a bit more and created little mini tartlets - excellent for parties! 

Chocolate Orange Tart
Ingredients:
1 block of ready made sweet shortcrust pastry
a little beaten egg to seal the pastry case
icing sugar to dust
Filling:
175g plain chocolate (at least 50% cocoa solids), chopped
175ml double cream
75g light muscovado sugar
2 medium eggs
1 tbsp Grand Mariner or Cointreau or concentrated orange juice

Method:
1. Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface and use to line a 8 inch loose-based tart tin. Prick the base all over with a fork, put the tin on a baking sheet and chill for 30 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 190C/170 fan/gas 5. Bake the pastry blind for 15 mins, removing the beans and baking for another 5-10 mins. Then brush the inside with egg and put back in the oven for 1 minute to seal.
3. Remove from the oven and lower oven temp to 170C/150 fan/gas 3.
4. For the filling, melt chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. (make sure the bowl doesn't touch the water) Remove the bowl from the pan and cool for 10 minutes.
5. Put the cream, muscovado sugar, eggs and liquer into a bowl and stir with a wooden spoon until mixed thoroughly. Gradually stir in the chocolate and then pour into the pastry case and bake for 20 minutes or until just set.
6. Serve warm or cold, dusted liberally with icing sugar.