I've had my eyes on this tart for over a year now, and I finally got around to making it. I feared how caramel would turn out, but in the end, I thought this recipe was easy and quick to make (make the dough the day before; it needs to rest twice), and the flavor is unforgettable. My kid decided they want this to be their birthday "cake"... absolute success.
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Salted Caramel Chocolate Tart
23 cm diameter tart, 12 small servings, 8 large servings
For the dough,
- 8 tablespoons or 115 grams unsalted butter, at room temperature
- ½ cup or 100 grams granulated sugar
- 2 eggs at room temperature
- 2 cups or 250 grams all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
Butter a pie dish.
Using a hand mixer, beat butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, whisking to combine; add flour and salt, and beat until combined. Do not over-beat. Extend the dough with your fingers along the bottom and sides of the pie dish. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before baking.
Preheat the oven to 350°F (180 °C).
Cover the dough with aluminum foil, and use beans to weigh it down. Bake for 25 minutes, remove the aluminum foil and the beans (carefully, they will be hot). Bake for another 10 minutes until golden. Allow cooling on a rack before filling.
For the caramel,
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 1 cup or 200 grams of sugar
- pinch of sea salt
Put the cream in a small pan or Pyrex measuring cup, heat until it comes to a boil. I used the microwave. Remove from the heat.
Combine the sugar and five tablespoons of water in a medium pan, ideally with a heavy one. Cook over high heat, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Stop stirring, and allow to boil until you have a dark caramel, about 6 minutes. Remove from the fire and, very carefully — it will rise and sizzle —add the cream little by little. Stir with a spatula until thoroughly combined. Add a pinch of salt. It will look like in the picture.
Pour the caramel over the cooled tart dough and let it cool until firm and opaque. You may refrigerate it to speed up the process.
- 170 grams of semi-sweet chocolate, I used 61% cocoa, chopped
- 1 cup heavy cream
- pinch of salt
Heat the cream in a medium pan. The moment it comes to a boil, remove from the heat. Pour the cream over the chopped chocolate in a bowl. Allow to rest for 3 minutes, then slowly stir with circular motions to combine. Once all the chocolate has dissolved and a chocolate cream has formed, pour this over the caramel. Carefully, you could have some chocolate cream left.
Allow to rest on the counter for 3 hours before serving, so the ganache can harden. Do not refrigerate, as the ganache becomes opaque and cracks.
Sprinkle with sea salt and serve.
