Ingredients
Poached pears
Honeyed walnuts
Method
1.Process butter, icing sugar, flour and cocoa until mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add egg yolk and the water; process until ingredients come together. Enclose in plastic wrap; refrigerate 30 minutes.
2.Roll pastry between sheets of baking paper until 5mm thick. Freeze 5 minutes. Lift pastry into an 11cm x 35cm rectangular loose-based fluted tart tin, press into sides, trim edges; prick base all over with
a fork. Freeze 20 minutes.
3.Meanwhile, preheat oven to 200°C.
4.Place tart tin on an oven tray; line with baking paper, fill with dried beans or rice. Bake 15 minutes. Remove paper and beans; bake a further 10 minutes or until browned lightly. Cool on tray.
5.Reduce oven to 180°C.
6.Stir chocolate and extra butter in a heatproof medium bowl over a saucepan of simmering water until just melted. Remove bowl from pan; whisk in eggs and flour until just combined. Pour mixture into pastry case; smooth surface.
7.Bake tart 20 minutes or until just set. Cool. Cover; refrigerate 3 hours or overnight.
8.Meanwhile, make poached pears, then honeyed walnuts (see below).
9.Serve tart topped with walnuts and syrup, accompanied with pears.
Poached pears
10.Heat juice, honey, water, sugar and vanilla bean in a medium saucepan over a low heat; cook, stirring, until sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil over a high heat; reduce heat to medium-low. Add pears; cook 20 minutes or until just tender. Remove pears from syrup with a slotted spoon. Return syrup to the boil over high heat. Boil 10 minutes or until thickened slightly.
Honeyed walnuts
11.Place walnuts on a baking paper-lined oven tray. Drizzle with honey; toss to coat. Bake at 180°C for 12 minutes, stirring halfway, until golden. Cool.
Stand tart at room temperature for at least 1 hour before serving for best flavour and texture. Have fruit and syrup at room temperature, too.
Note
