by Fiona Luck

Tarte au citron, molten chocolate brownie and white chocolate mousse with passionfruit and a pistachio tuile combine to make an impressive dinner party dessert.

Equipment and preparation: For this recipe you will need four 10cm/4in loose-bottom tartlet tins.

Ingredients

For the chocolate brownie

• 100g/3½oz plain chocolate, broken into pieces
• 110g/4oz butter, at room temperature
• 2 free-range eggs, beaten
• 150g/5½oz caster sugar
• 40g/1½oz cocoa powder
• 40g/1½oz plain flour
• 100g/3½oz milk chocolate, chopped into small chunks

For the tart cases

• 75g/2¾oz cold unsalted butter, cubed
• 1 tbsp icing sugar
• 150g/5½oz plain flour
• 1 free-range egg yolk

For the tart filling

• 1 free-range egg yolk
• 1 free-range egg
• 40g/1½oz caster sugar
• 1½ unwaxed lemons, zest and juice
• 2 tbsp double cream
• crème fraîche, to serve
• fresh mint leaves, to garnish

For the chocolate mousse

• 100g/3½oz white chocolate, broken into pieces
• 1 free-range egg white
• 200ml/7fl oz double cream
• 2 passionfruit, pulp only

For the tuiles

• 40g/1½oz unsalted butter, softened
• 50g/1¾oz icing sugar
• 1 free-range egg white
• 40g/1½oz plain flour
• 30g/1oz shelled pistachios, finely chopped

For the coulis

• 250g/9oz mixed summer berries

Method

1. For the chocolate brownie, preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4. Grease and line a 20cm/8in square baking tray.

2. Melt the plain chocolate and butter in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Remove the bowl from the heat. Whisk the eggs and sugar together in a bowl until pale, then stir in the melted chocolate and butter. Sift in the flour and cocoa powder, mix until smooth then stir in the milk chocolate chunks.

3. Pour the mixture into the baking tray and bake for 25 minutes, then remove from the oven and transfer to a cooling rack.

4. Meanwhile, make the pastry for the tarts. blend the butter, icing sugar and flour into a food processor and blitz until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add the egg yolk and pulse until the mixture comes together. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead briefly until you have a smooth pastry. Wrap in clingfilm and chill for 30 minutes.

5. Roll out the pastry and use it to line the tart tins. Chill in the fridge for 15 minutes. Line the pastry cases with baking parchment and fill with baking beans or rice. Bake the cases blind for 10 minutes, remove the baking beans and bake for a further five minutes.

6. Meanwhile, for the tart filling, whisk the egg yolk, whole egg and caster sugar together in a bowl until pale and fluffy. Add the lemon juice and zest then fold in the cream. Pour the filling into the blind-baked pastry cases and bake for 15 minutes until set.

7. For the mousse, melt the white chocolate in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Remove the bowl from the heat.

8. Whisk the egg white in a bowl until stiff peaks form when the whisk is removed. Whip the cream in a separate bowl until soft peaks form when the whisk is removed. Fold the egg whites, a little at a time, into the cream then fold into the chocolate. Transfer to the fridge to chill.

9. For the tuiles, beat the butter and icing sugar until pale. Add the egg white and whisk until incorporated. Add the plain flour and fold with a metal spoon until smooth. Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper. Place a round stencil onto the greaseproof paper then spread some of the tuile mixture over the top. Remove the stencil to leave behind a thin circle of the mixture. Repeat, keeping plenty of space between each circle of mixture.

10. Sprinkle the circles evenly with finely chopped pistachios and bake in the oven for five minutes until the edges are golden-brown, but the biscuits are still pliable. Whilst still warm use a palette knife to remove the biscuits and mould around the handle of a wooden spoon to create a tube. Leave to cool.

11. For the coulis, remove any stems from the fruits and ensure they are thoroughly washed. Chop roughly and place in a small food processor. Blitz until puréed then pass through a sieve.

12. To serve, spoon the passion fruit into a shot glass. Dollop on a generous amount of white chocolate mousse and top with a tuile biscuit. Serve with the chocolate brownie, fruit coulis and the lemon tartlets, garnished with mint leaves and a spoon of crème fraîche.