I love the combination of chocolate and sea salt so when I came across this video I had to give it a try. This chocolate salted caramel tart, for lack of a better words, is pretty darn good. I am not really sure what I love more, the dark chocolate flavor of the tart or the gooey caramel.
All I have to say is that if you are looking for a rich, decadent chocolate masterpiece, than you have found your dessert. You really can’t go wrong.
Serves 6–8
For the pastry:
150g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
75g cold butter, diced and chilled
25g caster sugar
1 large egg, beaten
For the caramel sauce:
150g caster sugar
125ml double cream
10g butter
pinch of sea salt
For the chocolate ganache filling:
240ml double cream
200g dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids), finely chopped
75g caster sugar
pinch of sea salt
To make the pastry, rub the flour and butter together in a bowl with your fingertips until the mixture resembles rough breadcrumbs. Stir through the sugar and a little beaten egg until the mix comes together to form a ball. Press it into a flat oval, cover with cling film and place in the fridge to rest for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F), Gas Mark 4. Dust a work surface with a little flour and roll out the pastry to 3mm in thickness and large enough to fit a 20cm diameter, 4cm deep fluted tart tin with a removable base. Line the tin with the pastry and press it into the sides before trimming the edges. As you line the tin, if the pastry crumbles, don’t panic, just patch it together.
Prick the base with a fork all over and line with foil, shiny side down, and fill with baking beans. Place the pastry shell in the oven to blind bake for about 15 minutes until the pastry is a light golden brown. Remove the tin from the oven, lift out the foil and beans and cook for a further 6–8 minutes until cooked through and lightly golden. Remove the tin from the oven again and allow it to cool on a wire rack.
To make the caramel sauce, add the sugar to a heavy based saucepan and let it melt down on a medium heat, swirling (never stirring) until it begins to change colour. Once the sugar has melted and turned an amber colur, pour in the cream and add the butter. It will sizzle and sputter but keep stirring and it will come together. Allow to cool.
Spread the cooled caramel sauce into the base of the pastry case then prepare the ganache filling by placing the rest of the ingredients in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water. Mix until smooth and then pour on top of the caramel, sprinkle some sea salt on the top then allow to set at room temperature for 1 hour before serving.
Source: Donal Skehan
