Chocolate Caramel Tarts with Sea Salt

To recap from last week, I posted a tart recipe and talked about how my husband helped out by making the citrus curd. Well, we've teamed up again this week to make chocolate tarts and he made the caramel. This recipe is not hard but it does require time and patience. The end result, however, is very much worth the effort.

Tart Shell Ingredients:

½ cup butter, softened

½ cup + 1 tablespoon powdered sugar

1 large egg yolk

¾ teaspoon vanilla

1 ¼ cup flour

¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

Cream together the butter and powdered sugar, in a stand mixer or in a bowl with a hand-held electric mixer, until combined; about 1 minute. Add the egg yolk and vanilla, beating until smooth. Sift in the flour and cocoa powder, then beat on low speed just until combined. Turn the dough out onto a piece of plastic wrap and knead for a few seconds. Form the dough into a disk, wrap it in the plastic wrap, and chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour or up to 3 days.

This tart can be made in one 9 inch tart pan with removable bottom, or in four 4 ½ inch tart pans with removable bottoms. If using the smaller tart pans, divide the dough into four equal pieces before proceeding. Roll the dough out to a 1/8 inch thick circle. (I find dough is easier to roll out if you place it between two sheets of waxed paper or parchment paper.) Place the dough into the pan(s) and press gently against the bottom and sides to remove air pockets. Trim off excess dough around the edges of the pan and use to fill in any cracks, gaps, holes, etc. Generously prick the bottom of the dough with a fork and chill for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Bake for 20 minutes and set aside to cool.

Caramel Ingredients:

½ cup water

2 cups sugar

dash of lemon juice or ¼ cup light corn syrup*

½ cup butter

½ cup heavy cream

2 tablespoons sour cream or crème fraiche

* David Lebovitz has very good information here about using or not using corn syrup in baking: http://www.davidlebovitz.com/2009/01/why-and-when-to-use-or-not-use-c/

We used a dash of lemon juice.

Note: For more great information about the science behind making caramel, visit this link at Fine Cooking magazine: http://www.finecooking.com/item/60729/the-science-of-caramel

Disclaimer: I did not receive any kind of incentive or compensation for mentioning either of these sources.

Place water, sugar, and lemon juice/corn syrup in a large saucepan to cook over medium-high heat. I would not suggest walking away at this point; however, you will not be doing anything but watching until the syrup starts to color. When you see amber streaks in the mixture and begin to smell the caramel, swirl the pan a few times to even out the color. Remove the pan from the heat and very carefully whisk in the butter, heavy cream, and sour cream/crème fraiche until smooth. Pour the caramel into the tart shell(s) and let set at room temperature for at least 45 minutes.

Ganache Ingredients:

½ cup heavy cream

3 ½ ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped

coarse sea salt or fleur de sel, for garnish

Bring the cream to a boil in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Place the chocolate in a bowl and pour the cream over it. Wait for 2 minutes and then whisk the ganache until smooth. Pour the glaze over the tart(s) and let set at room temperature for 2 hours. Sprinkle the tart(s) with salt and serve.

Source: I received this recipe years ago in a cooking class at my local food co-op.