To start, I dedicate this post to my mother-in-law. She took last week off work to help me out with Evie and, without her small acts of daily kindness, this post would never have been possible.
Maybe it’s my stubborn nature, or my die-hard Canadian politesse, but I struggle to ask for help. More often than not when help is offered, I politely decline. “Oh no, don’t worry about it. Thanks anyway.”
I did this during my pregnancy too when someone would offer me their seat on the train. It was a knee-jerk reaction and one I often regretted (“What am I saying?? TAKE THE SEAT. My feet hurt, I need the seat!”).
Thankfully, my MIL knows better than to listen to the gracious (and nutty) mutterings of a sleep-deprived new mother.
“Nonsense. Give her to me. I made you a sandwich. Eat. Go take a shower.”
And I did. And it was amazing.
Each day, she would stop by the house and relieve me of my duties for an hour or two, prepare me lunch, hold my baby while I ate, and each day I finished the afternoon feeling refreshed and rested and new, ready to tackle anything my little Evie threw (or pooped) at me. Sometimes, you just need to be told, ya know?
Don’t be silly, take the help.
Could I have managed okay on my own? Yes. Am I glad I didn’t have to? YES.
So, in the spirit of small, simple things bringing big, big happiness…
Light, flaky puff pastry. A thin layer of dark chocolate, shattering into pieces and melting on the palette. Fluffy whipped cream tempered with tart yogurt, all topped with ripe, juicy raspberries.
I used to make this dessert as a proper pie, with a traditional pie crust and all but, when I attempted the recipe with puff pastry not only did I LOVE how it sped up the cooking-to-eating time, but I found the buttery flavour and light, flaky texture of the pastry proved an even better match for the fluffy cream than the traditional crust.
The result is a surprisingly light dessert with decadent flavours.
(It doesn’t hurt that it looks pretty damn classy too, right?)
| Dark Chocolate Raspberry Cloud Tart | Print |
- 1 square frozen puff pastry, thawed
- 1 egg + splash of water (egg wash)
- 100 g dark chocolate, melted
- 1 cup whipping cream
- 2 Tbsp icing sugar
- ¾ cup plain yogurt
- 1 punnet fresh raspberries
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat mat.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll puff pastry out into a rectangular shape. Trim edges with a sharp knife or pastry cutter (optional- this step is largely aesthetic). Fold edges in to form a ½ inch border around the edge of the rectangle. Using a fork, poke holes throughout the centre of the pastry to allow the air to escape during baking.
- Transfer the pastry to the lined baking sheet. Brush the surface with egg wash. Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown and puffy.
- Melt chocolate over a double boiler or in the microwave (if using the microwave, heat in 30 second increments, stirring after each session). Smooth melted chocolate over the centre of the baked pastry. Place in a cool spot to allow the chocolate to set (or place the whole thing in the freezer for 5 minutes or so, if you're impatient like me).
- Using a whisk or stand mixer with the whisk setting, whip the whipping cream and icing sugar together until the cream forms stiff peaks. Gently fold in yogurt. Gently spread the cream mixture over the set chocolate on the pastry- take care not to spread the cream to the very edge of the chocolate, as the chocolate will form a protective layer between the pastry and the cream ensuring nothing gets soggy.
- Arrange raspberries over the cream. Garnish with some small fresh mint leaves if you like. Serve immediately.
Your chocolate tart looks amazing and delicious. Thanks for sharing! Great photos btw!
Phillip
Cooks and Kid
http://www.cooksandkid.com
Thanks, Phillip! Hard to take a bad picture of chocolate and raspberries 🙂
Love your site!