These decadent tarts combine two favourite flavours, caramel and chocolate. When making tart shells you need a slightly sturdier pastry than a regular sweet dough. It needs to be removed easily from the tartlet shells and weighting the shells with rice or beans takes too much time. This dough is made like a cookie dough to avoid these problems. As tartlet tins come in different sizes, use what you have - even small muffin tins work. Measure the top of the tin and use a cutter 1-inch (2.5-cm) bigger than the cup.
Pastry
3/4 cup (175 mL) unsalted butter
1/2 tsp (2 mL) salt
1/4 cup (50 mL) granulated sugar
2 cups (500 mL) all-purpose flour
1 tbsp (15 mL) cold water
Caramel
1/2 cup (125 mL) granulated sugar
1/4 cup (50 mL) water
1 tsp (5 mL) corn syrup
1/3 cup (75 mL) whipping cream
Chocolate
8 oz (250 g) European bitter or semi-sweet chocolate
1 cup (250 mL) whipping cream
1 egg, beaten
1/2 tsp (2 mL) vanilla essence
3/4 cup (175 mL) unsalted butter
1/2 tsp (2 mL) salt
1/4 cup (50 mL) granulated sugar
2 cups (500 mL) all-purpose flour
1 tbsp (15 mL) cold water
Caramel
1/2 cup (125 mL) granulated sugar
1/4 cup (50 mL) water
1 tsp (5 mL) corn syrup
1/3 cup (75 mL) whipping cream
Chocolate
8 oz (250 g) European bitter or semi-sweet chocolate
1 cup (250 mL) whipping cream
1 egg, beaten
1/2 tsp (2 mL) vanilla essence
- Place butter, salt and sugar in food processor. Process until mixture is light and fluffy. Add flour and water and just combine. Remove from processor and shape into a flat disc. Chill for 30 minutes.
- Roll out pastry about 1/8-inch (3-mm) thick. Using a cookie cutter, cut circles to fit your tartlet tins. Ease pastry into tins and if it breaks then pat together again. If there is enough pastry make a rim around tart. Chill pastry for 30 minutes to allow it to relax. Prick base of pastry with a fork.
- Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C).
- Bake tartlets 15 to 20 minutes or until golden. Cool in tins. Remove before filling them.
- Combine sugar, water and corn syrup in a heavy pot. Bring to boil and boil until sugar turns an amber colour, about 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in cream until well incorporated. Stir occasionally as mixture cools. Chill until mixture thickens.
- Break up chocolate and place in a heavy pot with 1 cup (250 mL) cream. On low heat slowly melt chocolate, stirring until the mixture is smooth.
- Stir in egg and vanilla and continue to stir together until mixture is slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Cool.
- Place 1 tsp (5 ml.) caramel in base of tart. Fill with chocolate mixture. Refrigerate tarts until chocolate mixture is set.
- For an optional garnish, pipe tart with whipping cream or top with gold flakes or balls.
Makes 24 tarts
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