Chocolate & Chestnut Tarts

For the pastry, in a small bowl add the ground flax seeds and water, mix and leave for 5 minutes.

Add the flour, icing sugar, and ground almonds into a food processor, mix to combine ingredients.

Add the butter and pulse until mixture becomes crumbly, add the flax mixture and pulse again until it all comes together. It should still feel sticky and not dry and crumbly.

Tip out the dough onto a lightly floured surface, form it together into a ball and flatten down slightly, wrap it in cling film and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Once the dough has chilled, roll it out onto a floured surface to about 5mm thick and line each of the tart cases, trimming off the excess with a sharp knife. With a fork, prick all over the bottom of the base.

Cover with cling film and leave to cool in the fridge for another 30 minutes.

Pre heat the oven to 190°C fan

Remove the tin from the fridge and cover with parchment paper, press the paper into cases, then fill the tart with ceramic baking beans.

Bake for 15-20 minutes in the middle of the oven, then remove the beans and parchment paper and bake for a further 5-10 minutes or until golden. Leave to cool in tin on a wire rack. Remove tin when fully cooled.

For the filling, in a saucepan over a low heat melt the chocolate and butter and stir constantly until completely melted and mix to fully combine.

In a medium bowl, beat the chestnut purée and icing sugar together. Add the melted chocolate mixture and fold through the chestnuts until fully combined.

Pour the mixture into each of the tart cases, filling near to the top of the case, place into the fridge to set.

For the chestnut cream, in a stand mixer add the chestnut purée, icing sugar, agave syrup, and vanilla extract and whisk to combine. Whisking continuously, slowly add the butter a little at a time until all the butter is gone and is fully incorporated into the mixture. It should be light and fluffy like any other buttercream.

Place into a piping bag fitted with any nozzle you like. I used a large star shaped nozzle. Take the tarts out the fridge, slowly pipe the chestnut cream into each one of the tarts starting from the middle and working outwards. Finish off with a dusting of cocoa powder.

Leave to come to room temperature and enjoy!