This isn’t your average chocolate fix. At Table Manners – a neighbourhood gem tucked into Bronte’s Macpherson Street – dessert comes with drama. Rich, velvety, and still oven-warm, these tarts are a masterclass in restraint and indulgence all at once. The kind you crack into with a spoon, only to find the centre still molten.
Helmed by hospitality veteran Alex Cameron (of Franca and Parlar pedigree), Table Manners plays in the space between European sophistication and beachside ease. The menu dips into French, British and Italian influences, but it’s this signature tart – simple, seductive – that has lingered in our thoughts.
With a buttery cocoa shell and a dark chocolate filling whipped to a glossy, just-set finish, this recipe is the kind of thing you’ll want to have in your back pocket for a winter dinner party. Serve with a scoop of something cold and creamy, sprinkle with sea salt, and don’t bother with leftovers. There won’t be any.
Ingredients
Makes 6 individual 6cm tarts
Tart shell pastry:
- 140g icing Sugar
- 200g uunsalted butter
- 40g cocoa powder1
- 100g egg yolks
- 360g plain flour
- 4g salt
Chocolate tart filling:
- 70% 460g Dark Chocolate
- 230g unsalted butter
- 270g sugar
- 6 whole eggs
- 1g salt
Method
Step 1: Start by making your tart shells: sift coco powder and icing sugar, then transfer to a bowl.
Step 2: Add in cold cubed butter and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.
Step 3: Combine in egg yolk
Step 4: Sift in the flour and combine well. Form into dough.
Step 5: Flatten dough and shape into tart shell molds.
Step 6: Wrap and store in the refrigerator overnight.
Step 7: Make your tart filling; In a large bowl combine chocolate, butter, salt and 280 g of your total sugar.
Step 8: Warm over very low heat, stirring occasionally until all mixed. Allow to cool.
Step 9: Whisk all the eggs and remaining sugar to fluffy, ribbon consistency.
Step 10: Fold the egg mixture into cooled chocolate mixture in thirds; pausing to mix through properly.
Step 11: Transfer mixture into piping bags and pipe chocolate filling into tart shells.
Step 12: Bake for 9 minutes at 160°C pre heated.
To serve:
Sprinkle with a pinch of sea salt to garnish and serve with your favourite choice of ice cream. Serve hot (be warned, the centre of the tart will be very hot).
