Chocolate & Smoked Salt Tart with Bay Leaf Ice Cream

Method:

1. For the ice cream, pour the coconut milk into a saucepan. Add the coconut cream, maple syrup and the bay leaves. Stir and place over a low heat. Bring to simmering point and then immediately remove from the heat. Leave to infuse and allow to cool to room temperature.
2. When the mixture has cooled, strain through a fine sieve into a bowl or jug to remove the bay leaves. Put the strained liquid in the fridge to chill for at least one hour, then pour the chilled ice cream mixture into an ice cream maker and churn. Once it has begun to set, tip the ice cream out into a freezer proof container. Cover the container with a lid and freeze for at least 4 hours. Remove the ice cream from the freezer and leave to stand at room temperature for 15-20 minutes before serving.
3. For the base, place the almonds, dates, smoked sea salt, coconut oil and cocoa powder in a food processor and blend until the dates and almonds have broken down and the mixture has come together like a loose dough. Press this dough firmly into the base and sides of a tart tin.
4. For the filling, pour the coconut cream into a pan and place over a very low heat. Break up the chocolate and add to the pan, along with the maple syrup and vanilla extract. Whisk together until the chocolate has melted, then pour onto the tart base. Leave to cool for fifteen minutes then scatter the smoked sea salt over the surface. Leave the tart to cool to room temperature then then refrigerate until ready to serve.
5. Serve the tart in slices, accompanied by a scoop of the bay leaf ice cream.

Recipe & photo from Steve Dent AKA The Circus Gardener’s Kitchen