Chocolate and salted butter caramel tart

After my attempt at salted butter caramel éclairs, I found myself with a large amount of salted butter caramel sauce, some chocolate and some cream left over.

These are dangerous things to leave lying around in my fridge, so for the sake of my waistline I decided it would be best to turn these ingredients into something I could take into work with me, and share the calories amongst my work colleagues.

Even though this prompted some to suggest I might be trying to fatten them up for Christmas, this tart was definitely a hit with all who tried it.

I’ve always been too afraid to try a chocolate pastry dough, but it really wasn’t any more difficult than normal shortcrust pastry. The finished tart shell is wonderfully crisp and light and chocolatey, so I will definitely be using it again.

Things I have learnt from making this tart:

Salted butter caramel needs only a very small amount of cream to get it to the right consistency, otherwise it will be too runny once you cut it into slices

If your ganache starts to split just add a little cream or milk and stir, it should quickly come back together

Chocolate shortcrust pastry should not be feared, and it patches up very well if it does split whilst you are getting it into the tin

Even though most recipes call for a loose-bottomed tart tin for this kind of thing, I haven’t had any problems with using my ceramic tart dish. Just make sure you leave it in the tart dish until the filling is set and ready to serve and it shouldn’t be difficult to get it out.

Chocolate and Salted Butter Caramel Tart - makes one 23cm tart shell

Chocolate shortcrust pastry:

(adapted from Nigella’s recipe for chocolate and raspberry tarts in How to be a Domestic Goddess)

175g plain flour

30g cocoa powder

50g caster sugar

125g salted butter, cut into small cubes

1 large egg yolk

2 tablespoons cold water

Place the flour, cocoa and sugar in the bowl of a food processor, pulse to combine

Add the butter into the dry ingredients and pulse until it resembles fine breadcrumbs

Whisk the egg yolk and water together and pour into the processor whilst it’s on

Tip the mixture on to a lightly floured work surface and knead very briefly to combine

Flatten the ball of dough and wrap in clingfilm, place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes

Roll out the dough so its good and thin, then lay it over the buttered tart tin

Working out from the centre, press the pastry down into the corners, making sure you don’t trap any air bubbles under the base

Trim the excess pastry from the edges and use to patch up any cracks or thin bits

Place the tart in the fridge (the original recipe says freezer, but I don’t have one and so I put mine in the fridge) and leave for another 30 minutes

Preheat the oven to 180°C

Line the tart shell with foil and fill with baking beans, making sure they come right up to the sides

Bake for 30 minutes then remove the baking beans and return to the oven for a further 10-15 minutes, or until the bottom is completely cooked and dry

Leave to cool in the tart tin (or you can remove it if you have a fancy loose bottomed one)

 

Salted butter caramel – makes around 1 cup of caramel

(Adapted from Smitten Kitchen)

225g caster sugar

85g salted butter (the Brittany butter from Waitrose is the closest you can get to good french butter in the UK)

4 tablespoons double cream

• Put the sugar in a LARGE saucepan. The caramel will bubble up a lot when you add the butter/cream and you don’t want it to overflow.
• Caramelise the sugar over a low heat (David Lebovitz has brilliant instructions with pictures here)
• Once it reaches a dark brown colour add in all the butter and stir
• Take the pan off the heat and stir in the cream
• Leave to cool slightly before pouring into the tart shell

Chocolate ganache:

100g dark chocolate

150g double cream

• Finely chop the chocolate
• Heat the cream in a saucpan (or the microwave) until it is just beginning to simmer
• Add the chocolate to the cream and stir briefly
• Leave for a few minutes for the chocolate to melt, then stir until you have a smooth sauce

Assembling the tart:

• Pour the caramel into the tart shell and spread out so it is smooth and level
• If you have more patience than me, put this in the fridge to set for 1 hour (otherwise skip to the next step)
• Spread the warm chocolate ganache over the tart and smooth out
• Add whatever sprinkles/decoration as you see fit or leave plain
• Put in the fridge to set for at least 1 hour or overnight