Chocolate and caramel tart

This recipe is one of my favorites. The salty caramel and the sweet chocolate ganache really work together. When the tart is cut, the salty caramel just oozes out of the tart and it makes you want to eat it even more.

I like to make individual portion tarts, so that everyone can cut into the tart and experience the surprise of the oozing caramel.

There are three components for the assembly of the tart. First you need to make the chocolate tart dough. It is the basic recipe for the sweet pastry crust with the addition of cocoa powder. After the dough is baked, you need to make the caramel so that is has time to cool before adding the chocolate ganache on top of the caramel. When the ganache is set, the tart is ready to eat. It is even better with a little dollop of wiped cream on the side. 

Chocolate and caramel tart

(Makes 1 Large(20cm) or 10 Individual tarts)

Time

Preparation: 30min

Cooking/Baking: 45min

Cooling: 4 hours 

   
       For the pastry:

-         25g cocoa powder

-         225g all purpose flour

-         125g room temperature butter

-         80g powdered sugar

-         1 egg

-         1 table spoon of cold water

-         a pinch of salt

For the caramel:

-         250ml heavy cream

-         50g butter

-         330g granulated white sugar

-         125ml water

-         1 tea spoon salt flakes
For the ganache:

-         150g dark chocolate

-         125ml heavy cream

To make the pastry:

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4 and place the rack in the center of the oven.

Mix together flour and cocoa powder in a separate bowl.

Cream the butter, sugar and salt, together then fold in the  flour- cocoa powder mixture. Then add the egg and water so that the mixture comes together.

Gently work it together until you have a ball of dough, then flour it lightly.

Wrap the dough in cling film and put it in the fridge for at least an hour.
Lightly butter and flour the tart shell(s). 

When the dough is ready remove it from the fridge, roll it out, line your tart tin(s) with it, gently prick holes with the fork so that the dough doesn’t rise when baking. Cover and put in the fridge for half an hour (This will help prevent the crust from shrinking while it bakes).

Bake the pastry case blind (put pie weights or rice on the parchment paper in the tart shell before baking to prevent the pastry from shrinking and puffing up) for around 12 to 15 minutes or until firm and almost biscuit-like. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.

To make the caramel:

Put the sugar and water in a medium size pot on medium heat. Put the cream and butter in a separate pot and heat until boiling. When the sugar mixture reaches 150-160°C(302-330°F) the cream and butter mixture is added slowly(careful, the sugar mixture is really hot and it will bubble) while whisking. Whisk the mixture on a low heat for another two minutes so that is thickens.  Fold in the salt flakes and pour in the baked tart shell up to the middle, leaving room for the chocolate ganache on top. Leave to cool for two to three hours in the fridge, or until set.

To make the ganache:

Bring the cream to the boil, meanwhile chop the dark chocolate in a heat-proof bowl. Pour the cream over the chocolate and mix until you have a smooth chocolate ganache. Pour it on top of the set caramel, leave to cool in the fridge until the ganache is set.

Serve at room temperature.