Dessert of dreams for a festive table
Chocolate chunky halva pie
Denise Phillips is a Jewish cook and author
Halva is a Middle Eastern confectionery made from tahini and sugar. It is best stored in the fridge and will last 4-6 months, but you should never freeze it. This pie is perfect for Rosh Hashanah as it needs to be made in advance, will store well and has the sweetness for a sweet New Year!
Preparation time 30 minutes plus 30 minutes for pastry to rest; Cooking time 20 minutes plus 2 hours to chill; Serves 10
Ingredients
For the pastry
50g cocoa powder
250g plain flour
150g unsalted butter / non dairy margarine
1 egg
50g golden caster sugar
1-2 tablespoons cold water
Pinch sea salt flakes
For the filling
50g butter / non dairy margarine
450ml double cream/ non dairy cream
50g golden caster sugar
300g dark chocolate (70%) – break up into small pieces
120g halva
Garnish:3 tablespoons halva – crumbled
2 tablespoons pistachio nuts
1 tablespoons dried rose petals – optional
Method
1.To make the pastry, sieve the cocoa powder and flour. Add to the food processor together with the butter, egg, water and sea salt flakes.
2. Whizz together to form a dough. If the dough looks too dry add a teaspoon or two of water.
3. Remove, cover with cling film and leave to rest in the fridge.
4. Using two sheets of cling film roll out the pastry between them into a large enough circle to fit into a 23cm fluted loose based pie tin, making sure you have sufficient for the sides.
5. Use your rolling pin to drape the dough over the tin, pressing it down into the base and pushing the pastry into the sides.
6. Trim any excess pastry.
7. Scrunch up some foil and inside the pastry, insert some baking beans.
8. Bake for 20 minutes on 200C.
9. Remove the baking beans and foil and leave to cool.
10. Carefully lift the pie out of the tin and transfer to a large plate.
11. Place the butter into a saucepan and heat gently. Add the cream and sugar. Cook over a low heat, stirring occasionally until the cream is hot but not bubbling.
12. Remove and leave to cool for about 5 minutes and then add the chocolate. Stir into a beautiful glossy ganache.
13. Break up the halva into chunky small pieces and arrange over the base of the cooked pie. Pour over the ganache and smooth out with a spoon so it is evenly distributed. Chill for 2 hours to set.
14. Decorate the top with crumbled halva, chopped pistachio nuts and dried rose petals.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
