Easter is fast approaching, and if you want a couple of great chocolate recipes to wow for dessert on Easter Sunday, you’ve come to the right place! Bordeaux Wines got in touch with me with some fab recipes from chocolatier Laurent Favre-Mot, and wine pairings to match, to make you look like an effortless, chocolate-bestowing goddess this weekend. I’ve tried them both, and they are divine!

First up is Tarte de Mémé, which translates as ‘Granny’s Tart’, which is a rich chocolate torte on top of an almondy, biscuity pastry base. Pair this with the Château des Perligues Graves Rouge 2014 (£14.99, Averys), which creates a rich, smooth velvety backdrop to the cool, dark creaminess of the tart. The wine has vanilla notes, as well as black fruits too – and I’m sure it’d go great with your lamb if you’re doing an Easter roast!

Tarte de Mémé

Ingredients
Pie crust:
120g butter (remove from fridge 10 mins before making the crust)
90g icing sugar
30g ground almonds
250g pastry flour
1 whole egg

Dark chocolate ganache:
300g dark chocolate
200g single cream (i.e. 20cl)
3 whole eggs

The accompaniment:
60g nuts (almonds, macadamia nuts, pecans, pistachios, hazelnuts, walnuts, etc.)

Method

Make the pastry by cutting the butter into pieces into a mixing bowl, then mixing with the icing sugar and ground almonds. Make into small crumbs by rubbing them together, then fold in the flour and egg, and bring the pastry together so you can knead it by hand. Shape into a ball and wrap in clingfilm, then store in the fridge for around two hours.

Make the dark chocolate ganache filling by breaking the chocolate into small pieces in a bowl. Bring the cream to a boil in a pan, then pour it over the chocolate and mix until the chocolate is smooth. Break in the eggs one by one, and blend each time. Then set aside at room temperature.

Preheat the oven to  170°C. Roll the crust out and place in a large tart pan, around 10 inches in diameter. Prick the base so it doesn’t rise, then bake for 10 mins. Remove, reduce the heat to 120°C, and pour the filling in. Bake for 30-40 mins, then allow to cool. Serve with nuts and a glass of Château des Perligues Graves Rouge 2014!

Next is the chocolate mousse, which I made without the granola finger and grapefruit listed in the original recipe, here. This was accompanied by one of my favourite wines of all time, Tesco Finest* Sauternes, (£12.00, Tesco). This is a classic dessert wine, which I buy every Christmas, and tastes like nectar and honey in a glass. It’s the perfect addition to just about any dessert course, in my opinion – but you do need a sweet tooth!

Mousse Chocolat

Ingredients
90g milk
90g single cream
110g dark chocolate (70% cocoa)
2 egg yolks
30g of caster sugar

Method

Break the chocolate into pieces in a large mixing bowl, and in another, combine the egg yolks and sugar and then whisk until the mixture is silky and smooth.

Boil the milk and cream in a pan, then pour it over the egg yolks, mixing like mad. Pour the mix into a new pan on a LOW heat and stir until mixed at 85°C. If this goes wrong and lumpy, don’t worry, take it off the heat and sieve out the cooked egg. , the cream is ready.

The original recipe uses a cream siphon, which I don’t have, so I just spooned the mixture into tiny espresso cups and egg cups! A very cute presentation for an Easter meal! Serve with a glass of yummy Sauternes.

Visit Vins de Bordeaux’s website here to find more information about the wine pairings for these desserts, and find more chocolate recipes from chef Laurent Favre-Mot!

Recipes reproduced with permission. Wines were complimentary for review purposes, photography and opinion my own!