Chocolate Melting Moments Torte, Flavoured with Assam Tea, served with Tea-infused Sauce

Methods and Directions

• In a heavy medium sized saucepan, heat the first quantity of cream to the boil. Add the tea leaves and sugar, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Remove from the heat and allow the mixture to infuse, covered, for approximately 2 minutes and sieve, pressing hard on the solids. The liquid should be a slightly golden brown color. Tip: Taste the mixture after a minute to monitor the progress of the infusion. The tea should come through clearly here but should not be aggressively tannic or bitter. Taste and add more cream, as needed, to dilute to arrive at a well balanced mellow tea and dairy flavor.

• Prepare a rectangular baking pan measuring approximately 8 inches by 10 inches by 2 inches deep. Spray pan with release spray, line with parchment and then spray again. Set aside. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• In a stainless steel bowl set over simmering water, melt the chocolate and butter, stirring until fully melted and smooth.
• Remove from the water bath and set aside.
• Brew the tea in the water, steeping for just 3 minutes. Pass through a fine meshed sieve, discarding the tea leaves and reserving the liquid. Place the cocoa powder into a medium sized bowl. Using a whisk, add the brewed tea slowly to the cocoa powder. Then blend the cocoa-tea mixture into the melted chocolate.
• Separate the eggs, placing the egg whites into the bowl of an electric mixer. Add the yolks to the chocolate mixture.
• Whip the egg whites using the whisk attachment until foamy. With the machine running, add the sugar gradually, beating until stiff but not dry. Sift the flour and malted milk powder into a medium-sized bowl.
• Gently fold the beaten egg whites and the dry ingredients into the chocolate mixture. Do not deflate the batter. The batter should remain light and airy. Pour the batter into the pan and bake for approximately 30-40 minutes. The cake should remain somewhat soft and fudgy in the middle. Do not overbake.
• Remove from oven and cool on the rack. Using an eight-sided cutter (or other similar sized shape of your choice), measuring 2¼ inches across by 1½ inches high, cut the cooled cake into 12 individual portions, cutting in rows of four along the 10 inch side of the rectangle and in rows of three along the 8 inch side. Cover the cut cakes to keep moist and set aside at room temperature.
• Now make the following Chocolate Ganache and Tea-infused plating sauce.

• Bring 2 cups of heavy cream to the boil. Place 1 lb dark bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped, in a heatproof bowl. Pour the heated cream over the chocolate and stir until melted and completely smooth. Set aside until you plate the dessert. If serving the dessert within an hour, then leave the ganache at room temperature. If not, place it in the refrigerator and re-warm either in the microwave or over a saucepan of simmering water. Then use as noted below.