The Julie and Julia inspiration

If any of you have not seen the movie Julie and Julia, see it. 365, 263 recipies a frustrated secritary cooks her way through Julia childs french cookbook and blogs about it. Simple and hilarious. Anyway, after watching this film all tucked up in bed I was inspired myself to try a choclate tart which features in the first part of the movie. But I didn't stop there, I also made hershey chocolate chip and walnut cookies,classic oat cookies and some winter vege soup which I pureed and froze in a snaplock bag. Funny , on the days i feel most under the weather are the days i want to cook a snowstorm.Anywho I spose I just love the idea that each time I bake the same thing I get better and better till you don't need the book. That's the thing about cooking, you can be ADD and still appreciate it because it doesnt take much time and you have constructed something beautiful from scratch. As Julia would say "you can have the worst day at work and everything falls down but you can come home and male cocolate pie and know it will turn out thick!"

Now to the recipe..if you care like me and do not have all the fancy kitchen equipment converting using online metric converters can be quite a task especially when measuring 175 grams of butter ( like 19T) however it only takes a wee while to do and its totally worth the calories

Here is the recipe for the chocolate tart

Prep time 30 +mins +1 hours chilling cooking time 15 min

1. 175g plain four
2. 6tsp butter
3. 1tsp caster suger
4. 1 tsp water
5. filling 100g full fat cream chees
6. 2 T caster suger
7. 1 small egg,lightly beater
8. 50grams dark choc

To decorate:

1. piped cream
2. dark choc spinkles or curls(whatever amount of patience you have left
3. coaco powder to dust

1.sieve the flour into a mixing bowl.cut butter into small pieces and run in with your finger tips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.Stir in the suger.Add enough water to mix into a soft dough and cover and chill for 15 min

2.Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface and use the 18 mini tartlet tines or mini muffin tins. prick base with fork

3.Beat together the full fat soft cheeese and the suger. BEat in the efgg and melt the chocolate and beat it into the mixture. Spoon into the pastry cases and bake in the preheated oven 190 degrees for 5-15 minutes, until the pastry is crisp and the filling is set. cool completely

4 chill tarts. pipe cream on topand decorate!

Bueno petito!