"When La Motte sent me a bottle of their Cabernet Sauvignon, dark chocolate was the obvious pairing. BUT the wine's elegance, velvety smooth tannins, and notes of cherry, oak, and blackcurrant make white chocolate the perfect pairing! The tart case is filled with a cabernet and cherry compote infused with cinnamon and orange zest then topped with a white chocolate mousse. It's a pairing worthy of any special occasion."  TheKateTin

White Chocolate, Cherry and Cabernet Tart

Makes 1 x 30cm tart

Serves 10-12

Cherry Cabernet Compote

1 x 400g tinned cherries

Zest of 1 orange

60ml La Motte 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tbsp cornflour

For the compote, place the cherries, orange zest, La Motte Cabernet Sauvignon, cinnamon and cornflour in a small saucepan over medium heat and stir until thickened and glossy – about 5 minutes. Set aside to cool. 

Pastry

145 g salted butter, at room temperature

80 g icing sugar, sifted

1 large egg yolk

½ tsp pure vanilla extract

225 g cake flour, sifted

For the pastry, place the butter and icing sugar, yolk and vanilla into a food processor and process until smooth. Add the flour and pulse until the pastry just starts coming together. Shape this into a disc,, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill until firm, about 2 hours.

White Chocolate Mousse

250g The Kate Tin White Baking Chocolate Drops

30g salted butter

310 ml milk

3 large egg yolks

3 tbsp granulated white sugar

2 tbsp cornflour

3 tsp unflavoured gelatin powder, softened in 3 tbsp water

50g The Kate Tin White Baking Chocolate Drops, melted

250ml whipping cream

For the white chocolate mousse, place the white chocolate and butter into a large bowl, and place, fine mesh sieve over top, then set aside. Heat the milk in a medium saucepan over medium heat to just below a simmer. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks, sugar, and cornstarch together. Pour the hot milk into the egg mixture gradually, whisking constantly. Return the liquid to the saucepan and continue to whisk over medium heat until a glossy and thickened custard is created, about 4 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the softened gelatin. Pour the custard mixture into the fine mesh sieve and strain over the white chocolate and butter. Whisk together until the chocolate and butter have melted completely into the custard. Cool to room temperature.

Remove the chilled pastry from the fridge and roll out on a lightly floured work surface, until 2-3mm thick. Grease a 30cm perforated tart ring with butter. Line the tart case with the pastry; start by pressing the ring into the rolled out pastry to make the base. Cut 2-3 long strips of pastry to wrap around the outside. Place the lined tart onto a perforated silicone mat and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. 

Preheat the oven to 160 degrees celsius and bake the tart shell for about 15 minutes or until golden. Once baked, set aside to cool. Brush the tart case with the melted chocolate. 

Whip the cream to stiff peak stage then gently fold into the cooled white chocolate mixture. Spoon the cooled cherry cabernet compote into the tart case then top with half of the mousse. Place the rest of the mousse into a piping bag with a star nozzle and pipe rosettes onto the top of the tart. Refrigerate to set. Decorate with white chocolate curls and gold leaf, if desired. Serve with 2019 La Motte Cabernet Sauvignon. 

The elegant structure of the 2019 La Motte Cabernet Sauvignon balances the rich sweetness of white chocolate while being a more than content partner to a cinnamon and orange zest infused cherry compote.