Briony Williams’ Chocolate, Blood Orange & Basil Tart

We’re always proud to celebrate Bristol talent, so we were delighted when Bristol-born baker and TV presenter Briony Williams shared one of her favourite recipes with us.

Many people will recognise Briony from The Great British Bake Off, where she quickly became a fan favourite thanks to her creative bakes and warm personality. Since appearing on the show, Briony has gone on to build a successful career as a chef, presenter and cookbook author — and she remains proudly connected to her Bristol roots.

Her recipe below is a real showstopper: a rich chocolate ganache tart layered with vibrant blood orange curd and finished with a fresh basil twist. The citrus cuts beautifully through the chocolate, while the basil adds an unexpected but delicious note.

Perfect for dinner parties or special occasions, it’s a dessert guaranteed to impress.

Chocolate, Blood Orange & Basil Tart

Ingredients

Pastry

125g unsalted butter, softened

85g icing sugar

40g ground almonds

Pinch of salt

½ tsp vanilla extract

1 large egg, beaten

200g plain flour

½ tsp baking powder

Ganache

300g dark chocolate

300ml double cream

1 tsp orange extract

Blood Orange Curd

4 medium eggs + 2 egg yolks, beaten

180g caster sugar

3 tsp blood orange zest

200ml fresh blood orange juice

125g unsalted butter, cubed

To Finish

Handful of fresh basil

50g white chocolate

Dried blood orange slices

Method

Preheat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan) and place a baking sheet inside to heat up.

Make the pastry

Place all the pastry ingredients into a food processor and pulse until a soft dough forms. Tip onto a lightly floured surface and knead briefly until smooth. Wrap in cling film and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Make the blood orange curd

Combine all the curd ingredients in a heatproof bowl. Microwave on 50% power in 1-minute intervals, stirring between each burst, until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. Set aside to cool.

Blind bake the pastry

Roll out the chilled pastry on a floured surface to around 5mm thickness. Line a 20cm tart tin, pressing the pastry into the sides and base. Leave a small overhang above the rim as the pastry may shrink during baking.

Prick the base with a fork. Line with parchment paper and fill with baking beans or uncooked rice.

Bake for 10 minutes on the preheated baking sheet. Remove the parchment and baking beans, then bake for another 10–15 minutes until golden brown. Set aside to cool.

Make the ganache

Break the dark chocolate into a bowl. Heat the cream in a saucepan until steaming and just beginning to bubble at the edges. Pour over the chocolate and leave for a minute before stirring until smooth and glossy. Stir in the orange extract.

Assemble the tart

Spread a layer of blood orange curd across the base of the pastry case. Finely chop a few basil leaves and sprinkle over the curd. Place the tart in the freezer for 10 minutes to firm up slightly.

Pour the ganache over the curd layer until the tart case is full. Return to the freezer for around one hour to set.

Finish and decorate

Melt the white chocolate in the microwave in 30-second bursts, stirring each time until smooth. Drizzle over the tart.

Top with a few fresh basil leaves and slices of dried blood orange.

To make the dried slices, simply place thin blood orange slices on parchment paper and bake at 120°C for about one hour until dried.

Rich chocolate, sharp citrus and fragrant basil combine to create a beautifully balanced dessert — and one that certainly wouldn’t look out of place in the Bake Off tent.