Caitríona Redmond: How to make my dark chocolate and ginger ganache tart
Dark Chocolate & Ginger Ganache Tart
As Gaeilge we have a saying: “Tús maith, leath na hoibre” which basically translated means if you start early or well, you’ll need to do half the work.
It goes without saying that the earlier you start to set a household budget the easier it will be.
That said, it’s never too late to take a long hard look at your incomings and outgoings and if anything, December is a great month to start in.
Take it from me, it’s not too late to get your finances in order for Christmas. It might feel like that ship sailed weeks ago and I know that the festive season is probably one of the most expensive and stressful times of the year.
Many small producers and retailers say that they make over 40% of their profits in the space of a few short weeks.
That displays the amount of buying and selling that is going on up and down the country at the moment. And no, I’m not talking about establishing a new government!
From a practical point of view it’s a simple affair of opening a notebook or a new spreadsheet on your computer and manually totting up your spending each week, tracing back as far as you can in the past year.
Open your wallet and empty your pockets of receipts which may tell a tale of spending your spare change and cash and of course your bank account statements to fill in the gaps.
Once you have it all laid out, it’s a case of figuring out your spending triggers, and it should be clear where you have potential to save money.
In my experience, confronting your spending and setting a budget can challenge me mentally. It makes me feel uncomfortable and I get a sense of dread when I see flights of spending when I really can’t afford it.
I have to swallow my pride and get on with setting financial limits and staying away from the credit card. It’s for the best.
With all the glitz, lights, and offers, supermarkets and shopping in general can be challenging for those of us keeping our finances on a tight rein.
Once the budget is set, there isa myriad of tantalising items on display to tempt us.
I get around the temptation by setting a spending limit and shifting the money I need for future spending into a savings account or vault which is not connected to a bank card.
When it’s time to do my grocery shopping, I tot up the contents of my trolley as I meander from aisle to aisle using the calculator on my phone.
A special mention for those retailers that have the handheld scanner which is a handy invention to monitor the running total as I add more items to the basket.
If I’m feeling particularly vulnerable, an online shop is guaranteed to fit my budget and save me from feeling stressed as I navigate the special offers.
I frequently write and talk about the difference between needs and wants.
It’s an important distinction to make because Christmas is traditionally a time of meeting wants such as a gift list or meeting a desire.
It’s easy to get sucked into creating extraordinary experiences and keeping up with other people are doing.
With small children, for example, finding and booking a Christmas experience in August requires Olympic-level effort (if you know, you know).
It's interesting to me, because if I were to ask my children what they love most about Christmas, they’d answer something benign like pyjamas on the sofa watching a Christmas movie.
As an example of creating a tradition without adding financial pressure, the eldest of the family still talks about a legendary leftovers pie with a filo crust.
She is obsessed with this simple meal and to her, it’s the highlight of Christmas.
There was a memorable walk at the seaside on St Stephen’s Day that the entire extended family took part in a few years ago. We all still chat about the experience and the photos.
If you can ditch the wish list and think more about creating new traditions at home that recreate the feeling of being safe, warm and loved, I think this is a wonderful habit to get into.
The peripheral benefit is your happy bank balance, but in truth happiness isn’t always about spending money.
Dark Chocolate & Ginger Ganache Tart
A quick and easy classic.
Preparation Time
15 minsCooking Time
20 minsTotal Time
35 minsCourse
BakingIngredients
400g ginger biscuits
300g butter
400g good quality dark chocolate
2 tbsp golden syrup
2 tbsp crystalised ginger, finely chopped
Cocoa powder, for decoration
Method
Break up all the biscuits using a food processor until you get a light crumb. Melt 100g of butter in the microwave and stir into the biscuit crumbs to make them a little sticky.
Take a small lined springform round cake tin and press the crumb mixture into the bottom of the tin, pushing part of the mixture up the edge to form the sides of the tart case. Once the tart case has taken shape, cover the tin and put it into the fridge.
To make the ganache, make a bain-marie by placing a large bowl over a saucepan of lightly simmering water. Melt the remaining butter (200g) along with the dark chocolate in the bowl. Once the ingredients are entirely melted, stir in the golden syrup and 1 tbsp of of the ginger.
Remove the tart base from the fridge and pour the ganache filling into the base. Allow the ganache to cool to room temperature. Sprinkle the remaining ginger on top of the ganache before returning the tart to the fridge for at least 2 hours. Dust with cocoa powder before serving.
