There’s something incredibly moreish about beetroot and chocolate, add in sweet and fluffy meringue and you get a divine dessert perfect for cold winter evenings, mornings and basically whenever you fancy a bit of a treat!

INGREDIENTS

Pastry

• 100g plain flour

• 100g rye flour

• 40g cocoa powder

• 150g butter

• 3 x egg yolks

• 80g caster sugar

Filling

• 500g dark chocolate

• 500ml double cream

• 100ml dark spiced rum

• 1 x pre-cooked beetroot

Topping

• 2 x pre-cooked beetroots

• 8 x egg whites

• 500g caster sugar

• 100ml water

METHOD

1. First make the pastry. Combine the flours, sugar and butter and mix together until it feels like breadcrumbs. Add the egg yolks and continue to combine, adding a little bit of water as you go to bind it all together. Fair warning – the rye flour does make this a little crumbly but persevere – no one has ever really cared if pastry looks good, especially when it tastes as good as this. Wrap the pastry in cling film and chill in the fridge until it feels as if it’s been down the gym for the last few months (firm).

2. Pre-heat the oven to 180C. Remove the pastry from the fridge and carefully roll-out on a floured work surface to about half a centimetre thick. Drape over a tart case and use a bit of pastry to push the sheet into the corners of the case. Line with baking paper and fill with baking beans or rice. Bake for 25 minutes.

3. After 25 minutes remove the beans or rice and baking paper. Turn the oven down to 150C and continue to cook the pastry until the base looks dry, around 15 – 20 minutes. Remove and allow to cool, trim the edges with a serrated knife to neaten up.

4. To make the filling heat the cream until just below boiling and pour over the broken chocolate. Mix well until the mixture becomes dark and glossy, add the rum and blend the beetroot and add the puree, mixing until combined. Pour the mixture into the pasty case and allow to cool before putting in the fridge to set, around 1-2 hours.

5. Now for the topping! Blend the remaining beetroots into a puree and set aside and then whisk the egg whites until they are stiff. Heat the sugar and water on a high heat (don’t stir, you risk the mixture crystallising!) until it reaches 121C. You need to be very accurate at this stage so watch carefully and use a thermometer. Very carefully, pour the sugar mixture into the egg whites slowly while whisking. The mixture should continue to expand and become lovely and glossy. Add the beetroot mixture and whisk until the mixture has cooled – around 5 minutes.

6. Once cool, pour your topping onto the tart and use a fork to make some swirls in the top. If you have a blowtorch you can then crisp up the topping, but be careful not to burn it!