According to Darren McGrady, former personal chef to the Queen, Princess Diana, and Princes William and Harry, Chocolate Perfection Pie was the Queen’s favourite pud. In my opinion it’s actually a tart, so I will call it a tart from here on. It is four layers of filling in a sweet pastry tart case, surprisingly light, not too sweet and really quite delicious. There are some pastry techniques required so I would say it is a recipe for confident home cooks. There are stages of cooling required so give yourself a good few hours to get it completed.

This recipe makes 10 slices.

Equipment needed:

• Oven
• Rolling pin
• Mixing bowls
• Whisk (hand, electric or food mixer)
• Grater
• Parchment paper
• Baking beads or rice for par-baking
• 22cm loose-bottomed tart tin (for example: https://www.amazon.co.jp/-/en/Silver-inches-Separated-Chrome-Removable/dp/B001U1G4F8/ref=sr_1_8?keywords=%E3%82%BF%E3%83%AB%E3%83%88%E5%9E%8B%2B%E7%84%BC%E3%81%8D%E5%9E)

Ingredients:

Method. First make the pastry:

1. Combine the flour and sugar in a large bowl, add the butter and with cold hands rub in the butter to make fine breadcrumbs.
2. Add the cream and egg yolk and mix to combine. If the mix is dry, add a little more cream or if it is sticky add more flour until you have a smooth pastry.
3. Thoroughly grease the tart tin with soft butter.
4. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to 1cm thick until it is 5cm wider than the tart tin. If the pastry is soft, use more flour when rolling. Using the rolling pin (see photo below), lay the pastry over the tart tin and gently press it into the bottom and sides.
5. With a sharp knife, carefully cut away the excess pastry. Prick the base of the pastry all over with a fork.
6. Chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
7. Pre-heat the oven to 180°C.
8. Line the pastry with parchment paper, add the baking beads/rice and bake for 15 minutes.
9. Remove from the oven, carefully remove the parchment paper and baking beads/rice and bake for a further 5 minutes.
10. Allow the pastry to cool at room temperature.

Make the First Layer:

1. In a mixing bowl over a pan of boiling water add eggs, cinnamon, sugar, vinegar and salt, and whisk until the mixture starts to foam up slightly – about 3 mins.
2. Remove from heat and continue whisking until the mixture becomes creamy and forms ribbons in the batter – about 3 mins. See below to check what “forming ribbons” means.
3. Pour mix over the cooled crust and bake in the oven at 180°C until the filling has risen and is firm to the touch – about 15 mins. Transfer to a cooling rack and allow the filling to sink back into the shell.

Make the Second Layer:

1. Heat the dark chocolate in the microwave or in a bowl over a pan of boiling water until just melted. Slowly add the egg yolks and water and whisk until combined.
2. Spoon half the chocolate mix over the tart filling and bake in the oven at 180°C for 5 minutes.
3. Cool completely in the fridge.

Make the Third Layer:

1. With a hand whisk or electric whisk, whisk the cream and cinnamon in a large bowl until stiff peaks form. Be careful not to over-whip or you will not be able to spread it on the tart.
2. Spread half the cream over the chocolate layer.

Make the Fourth Layer:

1. Fold the remaining whipped cream (from the third layer) into the remaining chocolate mix (from the second layer) and spread on top of the cream/cinnamon topping.
2. Keep chilled in the fridge until you want to serve.
3. Carefully remove the tart from the tart case, remove the case bottom and place the pie on your serving plate/board.
4. Sprinkle with dark chocolate and if using, grated white chocolate.

Forming “ribbons”: The mixture should be pale yellow, almost white in color and reach the ribbon stage, meaning that when you lift the whisk over the mixture the batter should fall slowly forming a ribbon that will hold it’s shape for a while.