This is one of those post festive period posts that feels a little late to the party. I ended up making this dessert when we had friends round on New Years Eve and its one that’s a little bit special. All the chocolate makes this a pretty decadent dessert – it’s actually a bit of a rehash of the  Chocolate and salted caramel hazelnut tart I made last year as the chocolate pastry and basic ganache recipe is pretty much the same. The praline in the Ferrero Rocher goes well with the chocolate and pecan nuts in the ganache. I must admit though, although the chocolate pastry is pretty difficult to work with, overall this recipe is easier than the original (both are good for a special occasion, this one is better if you’re pushed for time).

This time I made my pastry using my food processor as it is less time consuming. If you want to make the pastry by hand, there are instructions in the original recipe.

To make your own Ferrero Rocher Tart you will need

For the pastry

175g butter

75g caster sugar

2 egg yolks

250g plain flour

20g cocoa powder

35ml water

For the ganache

200g good quality dark chocolate (I used a mixture of 70% and 85%)

200ml double cream

200g soft brown sugar

70g chopped pecan nuts

For the topping

Approx 16 Ferrero Rocher

Chop your butter into small pieces and add to your food processor along with the caster sugar. Mix thoroughly – keep scraping the sides while using the food processor to make sure everything is evenly mixed. Add the egg yolks and water and mix well. Then gradually add the flour and cocoa powder. Once your pastry has come together gather into a large ball, wrap in cling film and put in the fridge or freezer for an hour until the dough is firm.

Roll out the pastry on a floured surface to a half cm thickness and line a loose bottomed tart tin or cake tin. Leave the pastry to rest again in the fridge for a few minutes. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Bake your pastry lined with baking beans for 20 minutes and blind for a further 6 – 10 minutes.

While your pastry is cooling make your ganache by heating your sugar and cream and allowing to simmer for 2 minutes. Take off the heat and melt in your dark chocolate. Allow to cool slightly and add your chopped pecan nuts. Top your pastry with the chocolate ganache and leave to cool – the ganache will thicken as it does so.

Half your Ferrero Rocher and decorate your tart. I did this at random and added the crumbs I made while chopping the chocolates, but if you want you can eat these (nobody will know!).

This tart works very well with cream, ice cream or creme fraiche – D prefers his served on its own. We ate slices of this after approximately 3 hours of drinking and playing games so you can imagine the high spirits going on.

If anyone wants to see the old advert for Ferrero Rocher click here.