Gelf says: “This is an indulgent, rich dessert packed with fruit that loves to be paired with chocolate and a nice hit of rum and subtle spice. The key is to use flavourful ripe fruit and great chocolate. Applying a lattice of pastry allows you to keep an eye on the delicate filling as it cooks – you want it to just set and not rise much.”

Serves 6–8

Ingredients

400g sweet pastry (see page 20 of Great Pies or store-bought)
Butter, to grease
Flour, to dust
Egg wash (beaten egg)

For the filling:

500ml double cream
2 oranges
3 star anise
A pinch of sea salt
250g good-quality dark chocolate chips (70% cocoa solids)
3 medium eggs
50ml rum (optional)
5 Victoria (or similar) plums, halved and stoned

To serve:

Crème anglaise (see page 238 of Great Pies) or vanilla ice cream

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C Fan/Gas 4. Grease and flour a 22cm tart tin, 3cm deep, and place on a baking sheet.

Roll out 300g of the sweet pastry on a lightly floured surface and use to line the tin (as described on page 24). Prick the pastry, line it with baking paper and baking beans and bake blind, then trim and seal (as detailed on page 27).

Turn the oven down to 170°C/150°C Fan/Gas 3.

For the filling, pour the cream into a medium saucepan and grate the zest from the oranges directly into the pan. Add the star anise and salt. Heat gently over a very low heat to infuse the cream with the flavourings for 5 minutes or so, then pass through a sieve into a bowl.

Add the chocolate to the warm infused cream, whisking as you do so, and continue to whisk until the chocolate is melted and smoothly combined.

In another bowl, lightly beat the eggs and then stir in the warm chocolate mixture and the rum, if using. Set aside.

Stand the oranges on a board and cut off all the white pith. Now, holding the oranges over a bowl to catch the juice, cut in between the membranes to release the orange segments; set aside. Squeeze the orange pulp over the bowl to extract the juice, discarding any pips. Whisk this orange juice into the chocolate mixture.

Distribute the plum halves evenly in the pastry case and scatter the orange segments around them. Carefully pour on the chocolate mixture.

Roll out the remaining pastry to a rectangle, the same length as the diameter of your tart and about half of the width. Run a lattice roller cutter along the length of the pastry and then carefully stretch the pastry widthways, to open out the lattice.

Brush the pastry edge of the tart case with egg wash and then carefully drape the pastry lattice over the filling. Press the lattice ends onto the edge of the pastry case. Gently brush the pastry lattice with egg wash.

Place the tart in the oven and bake for 40–50 minutes until the chocolate filling is just set in the middle.

Transfer to a wire rack and leave to cool. Serve at room temperature with crème anglaise or ice cream.

Great Pies: 3 comforting pie recipes to make this autumn (that aren’t just chicken)