Portuguese Chocolate Tarts

Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F). Line a baking tray with parchment paper and set aside.

Roll out the puff pastry on a lightly floured work surface to about 3mm thickness. Cut the pastry into 4 equal squares or rounds, approximately 10cm each, and place on the prepared baking tray.

Brush the top surface of each pastry piece with the egg yolk to create a golden finish. Prick gently with a fork to prevent excessive puffing during baking.

Bake the pastry bases for 12–15 minutes until golden and puffed. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly while preparing the chocolate filling.

Combine the broken chocolate and softened butter in a heatproof bowl. Heat the milk in a small saucepan until steaming, then pour over the chocolate and butter, stirring until completely melted and smooth.

In a separate bowl, whip the double cream with 2 tbsp caster sugar, orange zest, salt, allspice, and cinnamon until soft peaks form. Be careful not to overwhip.

Gently fold the whipped cream mixture into the melted chocolate mixture with a spatula until just combined and no streaks remain.

Spoon or pipe the chocolate-cream filling evenly onto each baked pastry base, dividing it equally among the four tarts.

Dust the top of each filled tart generously with cocoa powder using a fine sieve to create an even coating.

Allow the tarts to rest at room temperature for 5 minutes before serving to allow the filling to set slightly and flavours to meld together.