Grilled Pear & Blackberry Chocolate Tart

Melissa Saint Hill

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Instagram: @the_bare_scientist | thebarescientist.com

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*Requires a 12-inch rectangular tart pan

INGREDIENTS

Crust

25 pitted dates (1 cup)

2 cups oats (pulsed to flour)

1 cup ground almonds or almond meal

7 tbsp coconut oil (plus a little extra to lightly oil tart pan)

1-inch fresh ginger root (ground ginger will also work fine)

1 tbsp nutmeg

½ cup water

Pinch of salt

Filling

7 oz dark chocolate

14 oz coconut milk

3½ tsp cornstarch (more or less… cornstarch can be temperamental)

1 tbsp maple syrup

2 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp vanilla essence

Toppings

Handful of blackberries

1 conference pear

Handful of pecans and almond flakes

A few tsp chocolate sauce from filling mixture

Mint, to garnish (optional)

Grilled Pears

1 tbsp coconut oil

2 tsp nutmeg

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tbsp coconut sugar (or chosen alternative)

Dash of water

METHOD

Blend oats until you achieve a flour-like consistency. Soak dates in boiling water until they expand. Drain. Place them into a blender and blend into a smooth paste. Place dates and all other crust ingredients (minus the water) into a mixing bowl and mix thoroughly with a spatula or wooden spoon while adding 7 tbsp coconut oil. The water can be used to wet the dough, if necessary, by adding a little at a time to ensure you have achieved a dough-like consistency. Mix thoroughly.

Form the dough by pressing into the tart pan and bake at 375°F for about 20 minutes or until the crust has solidified and is lightly golden. Melt chocolate over a bain-marie and add coconut milk while whisking gently. Remove some of the mixture and mix in cornstarch little by little, then add back to the chocolate. Once the back of a spoon is coated, the mixture is ready. Pour into a Pyrex bowl, cover with crumpled wet parchment paper and place in the fridge to cool while the rest of the tart prep continues. (Ensure it does not solidify.)

Mix together all of the ingredients for the grilled pears and add a dash of water to slightly loosen the paste. Wash the pear and slice the initial halves into halves until you have nice thin slices. Coat the pear slices in the mixture and grill on a very low heat to gently caramelize and soften evenly. This can take about 20 minutes. Leave to cool on a wire rack.

Once cooled, pour the majority of the chocolate into the tart shell and place back in the fridge to set for a couple of hours. Once set, layer on the grilled pears and blackberries. Garnish with nuts and mint leaves. Finally, drizzle the last bit of chocolate generously over the tart to set the fruit and nuts into place on top of the filling. Place back into the fridge for 1 to 2 hours (ideally) until the last drizzle of chocolate has set, and then it is ready to serve and definitely enjoy.