Fit For A King! Or Queen.

Nougat, nougat, nougat. I love nougat! Eggless nougat of course. I’ve been hoping to make some for a long time and just haven’t gotten around to the ‘chemistry’ part of it. So if anyone has an eggless nougat recipe they might want to share with me (pretty, pretty please with a pistachio on top) I would be super grateful! I’ve been buying a brand of nougat ‘Sofra’ for a few weeks (I actually can’t stop munching on them) from my local Asian greengrocers- 5 for a £1. Sweet.

It is this nougat addiction along with Chocolate Blonde’s recipe Lazy Girls Persian Ice Cream (a.k.a Bastani) which led me to create this little beauty.

Readers, let me introduce you to my sweet little baby, Persian Chocolate Truffle Tart. I’m gonna warn you that it is quite sweet but oh so perfect with a shot of Arabic qawah (kinda like a spiced espresso… yum). I decided on a ‘truffle’ filling for this whilst reading a tummy-rumble inducing article on dark chocolate truffles in a UK food magazine. The delicate flavour of white chocolate laced with honey and rosewater is the basis of the tart, whilst the saffron adds a luxurious perfumed flavour. The pistachios and pastry add a final dimension of texture which finish this dessert off beautifully. What more could anyone possibly wish for?

Gold dust brushed on top?

Wish granted.

Persian Chocolate Truffle Tart
Ingredients

One 6inchX1inch sweet shortcrust pastry case, premade and cooled
250ml double cream
250g good quality white chocolate, broken into small pieces
40g unsalted butter, cubed
1 ½ tbsp rosewater
1 tbsp honey
1 pinch saffron
2 tbsp pistachios, crushed
Gold dust to brush on top when set

Method

1. Heat the cream in a small heavy based saucepan until at boiling point (don’t let it boil). Add the white chocolate and butter then stir until melted.

2. Add the honey, saffron, pistachios and rosewater.

3. Transfer to a bowl and chill in the fridge until cool.

4. Remove from the fridge and beat for 5 minutes with a balloon whisk if you’re feeling active or use an electric beater if you’re like me!

5. Return to the fridge for AT LEAST two hours… Yes two hours (that’s the only downside to this method… trust me!) You see, white choc has like zero cocoa solids as it’s pretty much made of cocoa butter (like the kind we use on our skin) milk solids and sugar. This basically means that it will take a lot longer to set than your average milk or dark chocolate.

6. Remove from the fridge and whip for a few seconds. It should look something like this…

7. Fill your shortcrust pastry with this filling and smooth over with a hot palette knife. Return to the fridge for around half an hour. Brush the top with a little gold dust. Bling.

8. Slice and enjoy with a shot of qawah (recipe below).

KO Qawah

Mix together:

1/4 cup hot strong espresso
Around 3 strands of good quality saffron
Seeds of one green cardamom pod, ground
¼ tsp lemon juice
1 pinch ground black pepper

To be enjoyed with something devilishly sweet!

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