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Double Chocolate and Strawberry Tart

by Nigella

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Introduction

While I believe most emphatically that one should never cook to impress, but rather to delight, the fact remains that this is undeniably a high-impact dessert and, at the same gratifying time, an encouragingly low-effort one.

The dramatic dark base comes courtesy of crushed Oreos and butter, which need no more than to be pressed into a shallow flan tin. What makes this a double chocolate tart is the white chocolate, which is gently melted, then folded into a soft mixture of double cream and cream cheese, and chilled in the lined tart tin before being topped with ripe, sweet strawberries and a few wisps of finely shredded mint.

For US measures and ingredient names, use the toggle at the top of the ingredients list.

Image of Nigella's Double Chocolate and Strawberry Tart — Photo by Hannah Rose Hughes for Ocado

Ingredients

Yields: 8 slices

Metric U.S.

2 x 154g packets oreo cookies
75 grams unsalted butter (softened)
100 grams white chocolate (broken into small pieces)
165 grams full-fat cream cheese (at room temperature)
100 millilitres double cream
pinch of fine sea salt
2 - 3 x 15ml tablespoons white rum (optional, see Additional Info below)
400 grams strawberries (hulled and halved)
Approx. 5 tender mint leaves (rolled up and cut finely into strips)

28 oreo cookies
5 tablespoons unsalted butter (softened)
4 ounces white chocolate (broken into small pieces)
6 ounces full-fat cream cheese (at room temperature)
7 tablespoons heavy cream
pinch of fine sea salt
2 - 3 x 15ml tablespoons white rum (optional, see Additional Info below)
14 ounces strawberries (hulled and halved)
Approx. 5 tender mint leaves (rolled up and cut finely into strips)

Method

Put the Oreos into a food processor and blitz to fine crumbs. Add the butter and blitz again, until the butter is no longer visible and the mixture starts to clump. If you’re doing this by hand, put the Oreos into a sealable bag, crush to crumbs with a rolling pin and tip into a bowl. Melt the butter and stir it into the biscuit crumbs until well mixed.
Tip out into a 23cm / 9 inches diameter, 3.5cm / 1¼ inches deep loose-bottomed fluted tart tin, and press into the base and up the sides. I find it easiest to use a combination of the back of a large spoon and my fingers. Pop the tart tin in the fridge to chill for 45 mins; when you do so, remove the cream so it’s not fridge-cold when you come to use it.
After 20-25 mins, put the white chocolate in a heatproof bowl that will sit on top of a saucepan. Fill the pan with enough water to cover the base by 2-3 cm / 1 inch and bring to a gentle bubble. Sit the bowl of chocolate on top, making absolutely sure it doesn’t touch the water, and turn the heat to low. Let it melt very gently, stirring every now and again with a silicone spatula until only a few lumps remain (about 5 mins). Give it another stir, then take the bowl off the saucepan and leave it to stand for 10–15 mins, until the chocolate has cooled down a bit but is still fluid. If the weather is very warm, it’ll take longer, but I don’t advise putting it in the fridge. You don’t need the white chocolate to be cold; you just don’t want it to be very warm when it’s mixed with the cream.
Meanwhile, put the cream cheese into a medium-sized bowl, pour in the double cream and add the pinch of salt. Mix gently, but thoroughly, until you have a thick, cohesive, creamy mixture.
Add the cooled white chocolate and gently mix again, folding the mixture with a light touch, before gradually adding the white rum, if using. Taste as you go, as you may prefer to use just 2 tablespoons of it.
If you’re going for the alcohol-free option (see Additional Information, below), gently stir in the lemon zest and juice and vanilla extract at this stage.
Take the tart tin out of the fridge and dollop or scrape the white chocolate mixture into the divinely dark chilled tart base, then spread to fill evenly. Put it back into the fridge to cool again for 45 minutes to 1 hour, then remove and top with the strawberries and mint.
Gently separate the sides of the tin from the base by sitting the tin on a small bowl (I use one that’s 10cm / 4 inches in diameter at the top and just 6cm / 2½ inches high) and letting the sides come loose. Sometimes, when I’m feeling brave, I swiftly slide a tart off its base and onto a waiting flat plate or board. But this biscuit base is delicate and crumbly, so I find it safer to serve it sitting on its base. Either way, serve within 10-15 mins, as the warmer the tart gets, the more fragile the biscuit base will become.

Put the Oreos into a food processor and blitz to fine crumbs. Add the butter and blitz again, until the butter is no longer visible and the mixture starts to clump. If you’re doing this by hand, put the Oreos into a sealable bag, crush to crumbs with a rolling pin and tip into a bowl. Melt the butter and stir it into the biscuit crumbs until well mixed.
Tip out into a 23cm / 9 inches diameter, 3.5cm / 1¼ inches deep loose-bottomed fluted tart tin, and press into the base and up the sides. I find it easiest to use a combination of the back of a large spoon and my fingers. Pop the tart tin in the fridge to chill for 45 mins; when you do so, remove the cream so it’s not fridge-cold when you come to use it.
After 20-25 mins, put the white chocolate in a heatproof bowl that will sit on top of a saucepan. Fill the pan with enough water to cover the base by 2-3 cm / 1 inch and bring to a gentle bubble. Sit the bowl of chocolate on top, making absolutely sure it doesn’t touch the water, and turn the heat to low. Let it melt very gently, stirring every now and again with a silicone spatula until only a few lumps remain (about 5 mins). Give it another stir, then take the bowl off the saucepan and leave it to stand for 10–15 mins, until the chocolate has cooled down a bit but is still fluid. If the weather is very warm, it’ll take longer, but I don’t advise putting it in the fridge. You don’t need the white chocolate to be cold; you just don’t want it to be very warm when it’s mixed with the cream.
Meanwhile, put the cream cheese into a medium-sized bowl, pour in the heavy cream and add the pinch of salt. Mix gently, but thoroughly, until you have a thick, cohesive, creamy mixture.
Add the cooled white chocolate and gently mix again, folding the mixture with a light touch, before gradually adding the white rum, if using. Taste as you go, as you may prefer to use just 2 tablespoons of it.
If you’re going for the alcohol-free option (see Additional Information, below), gently stir in the lemon zest and juice and vanilla extract at this stage.
Take the tart tin out of the fridge and dollop or scrape the white chocolate mixture into the divinely dark chilled tart base, then spread to fill evenly. Put it back into the fridge to cool again for 45 minutes to 1 hour, then remove and top with the strawberries and mint.
Gently separate the sides of the tin from the base by sitting the tin on a small bowl (I use one that’s 10cm / 4 inches in diameter at the top and just 6cm / 2½ inches high) and letting the sides come loose. Sometimes, when I’m feeling brave, I swiftly slide a tart off its base and onto a waiting flat plate or board. But this biscuit base is delicate and crumbly, so I find it safer to serve it sitting on its base. Either way, serve within 10-15 mins, as the warmer the tart gets, the more fragile the biscuit base will become.

Additional Information

For an alcohol-free version, replace the rum in step 5 with the finely grated zest of half a lemon, and one teaspoon each of lemon juice and vanilla extract.

MAKE AHEAD / STORE:
The tart, without strawberries and mint, can be kept in the fridge, loosely covered with food wrap, for up to 3 days. Add the strawberries and mint on serving.
Freeze – wrap the tart, without strawberries and mint but still in its tin, in a double layer of food wrap and a layer of foil and freeze for up to 3 months. To thaw, unwrap the tart, re-cover loosely with food wrap and leave in the fridge overnight. Add the strawberries and mint on serving.

For an alcohol-free version, replace the rum in step 5 with the finely grated zest of half a lemon, and one teaspoon each of lemon juice and vanilla extract.