Salted Caramel Tart
Salted Caramel Tart
A chocolate tart shell filled with a soft-but-stable caramel filling and swoops
of chocolate ganache is the kind of dessert romantic dreams are made of.
You can use a 23cm or 25cm tart pan. A generous sprinkling of flaky sea
salt before serving brings out the flavour of the chocolate and tempers the
sweetness of the caramel. I also like to use the Gold Sugar for a bit of bling.
Chocolate Salted Caramel Tart
Crust:
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. Rock salt
1 and 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 large egg yolk
3 Tbsp. chilled milk or water
Filling:
1. cups sugar
⅛ tsp. cream of tartar
6 Tbsp. chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1/3 cup heavy cream
1 tsp. rock salt dissolved in a tsp hot water
Ganache:
4 oz. semisweet chocolate (do not go
above 70% cacao), finely chopped
. cup heavy cream
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
Flaky sea salt
A 23cm or 25cm tart pan with removable bottom
Crust:
Whisk cocoa, sugar, salt, and 12/3 cups flour in a medium bowl. Add butter and toss to coat. Using your fingers, smash butter into dry ingredients until it nearly disappears (you shouldn’t see any large bits) and mixture holds
together when squeezed. Make a well in the centre and add yolk and milk.
Using a fork, gradually incorporate flour mixture until you’ve a dough.
Knead a couple of times in bowl until dry spots remain and dough is
smooth. Flatten into a thick disk, wrap tightly in plastic, and chill until
firm, about 2 hours.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Let dough sit 5 minutes to soften slightly. Roll out on a lightly floured surface to a 14” round about 1/8” thick, dusting with more
flour as needed to prevent sticking.
Lift dough on one edge and throw a pinch of flour on surface. Slide bottom
of tart pan under dough, positioning it roughly in the centre. Fold in edges
of dough so it’s resting fully on insert; place inside tart ring and unfold edges so they gently slump against sides of pan and excess dough is
hanging over the edges. Press dough firmly into bottom of pan with floured
hands, then use a straight-sided measuring cup to firmly press sides
of dough into grooves and up sides of pan. Roll pin over top edge of
pan to shear off excess dough flush with pan. Reserve dough scraps for patching any potential cracks later.
Prick bottom of dough all over with a fork and chill in freezer until very firm,
10–15 minutes.
Place tart pan on a rimmed baking sheet and line with a sheet of
parchment paper or foil. Fill with pie weights and bake until edges of crust
are set and starting to look dry, 12–15 minutes. Carefully lift parchment with
weights. Patch any visible cracks with reserved dough. Return crust to oven
and bake until firm and dry all over, 18–22 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack
and let cool.
Filling:
Bring sugar, cream of tartar, and 1/3 cup water to a boil in a large saucepan over medium-low, stirring with a heatproof spatula until dissolved. Cook, swirling pot often but not stirring, until mixture turns deep amber and wisps of smoke rise from the surface, 8–10 minutes.
Remove caramel from heat and immediately stir in butter a piece at a time until smooth. Gradually stir in cream, then add salt. Transfer caramel to a heatproof measuring glass (you should have about 1 1/2 cups). Let cool until warm.
Pour caramel into cooled tart shell. Chill until caramel is set, at least 1 hour.
Ganache:
Place chocolate, cream, and butter in a heatproof bowl set over a
saucepan of simmering water (bowl should not touch water). Stir with a heatproof spatula until ganache is smooth, about 5 minutes. Let cool until thickened enough to hold an indentation from a spoon.
Remove tart from refrigerator and scrape ganache over caramel. Using a spoon, gently work ganache over surface, creating decorative swooshes and swirls. Sprinkle with sea salt; let sit until ganache has lost its sheen, 10–15
minutes.