Rich and gooey, this dessert will certainly delight your guests: chocolate caramel tart by Claire Metcalfe, 31st August 2010
Ingredients
For the pastry:
- 60 g2 oz unrefined caster sugar
- 140 g5 oz good quality unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 egg
- 230 g8 oz plain all purpose flour
For the crème fraiche ice cream:
- 500 ml17½ fl oz crème fraiche (full fat)
- 300 g10½ oz caster sugar
- 80 ml2¾ fl oz lemon juice
- 240 ml8½ fl oz whole milk
For the caramel:
- 150 g5¼ oz soft dark brown sugar
- 150 g5¼ oz butter
- 400 ml14 fl oz condensed milk
For the hazelnut shards:
- 150 g5¼ oz good quality dark chocolate (70% cocoa)
- 1x 100 g3½ oz packet of chopped roasted hazelnuts
For the ganache:
- 150 g5¼ oz good quality dark chocolate
- 300 ml10½ fl oz double cream (pouring type)
- 1 tbsp golden caster sugar
Method: How to make Chocolate caramel tart
For the pastry:
Use a paddle mixer in a food processor to cream the sugar and butter until fluffy and pale.
Crack the egg into a small bowl and whisk lightly. Slowly add the egg to the butter mixture and mix well.
Remove the mixing bowl from the processor and sieve the flour over the creamed butter, return to the paddle mixer and slowly mix the flour into the butter until the pastry comes together.
Turn the pastry out on to a lightly floured work surface and push the dough together (do not knead).
Wrap the pastry in cling film and leave in the fridge to rest for about 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 180C/Gas 4.
Grease a non-stick loose-bottomed tartlet tin.
Roll out the pastry to the size required on a floured surface, line the base of the tin and trim off any surplus.
Place into the oven and blind bake using baking beans for 10-15 minutes.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
For the crème fraiche ice cream:
Whisk the crème fraiche with the sugar.
Then add the lemon juice and milk and whisk all of the ingredients together.
Transfer to an ice cream maker and churn for about 40 minutes.
When the ice cream is ready, transfer to the freezer.
For the caramel:
Slowly melt the sugar and butter in a milk pan.
Once the sugar has dissolved into the butter, pour in the condensed milk.
Keep stirring slowly until the mixture thickens into a caramel. Be careful not to overboil or burn it. Set it aside to cool.
For the hazelnut shards:
Melt the chocolate slowly in a glass bowl, over a pan of simmering water.
Cut out a square sheet of greaseproof paper on a tray. Using a pastry brush, paint the chocolate into a long rectangle onto the sheet.
Sprinkle chopped hazelnuts along one edge and put it in the freezer to set.
Set aside some of the melted chocolate for later.
For the chocolate ganache:
Break the chocolate into small pieces in a bowl.
In a pan, bring the cream and sugar slowly to the boil, and be careful not to burn. Then pour the mixture over the chocolate. Stir well until the chocolate has melted. Set to one side to cool.
To assemble the tart:
Turn the pastry out of the tin and very carefully, using a sharp knife, tidy up the edges of the pastry for a smoother finish.
Spread a thick layer of the cooled caramel on the base of the tart.
Then spread the ganache over the caramel layer, being careful not to over fill, or for the layers to mix.
Return to the fridge to cool and set for 15-20 minutes.
To serve:
Remove the ice cream from the freezer to allow it to soften.
Swirl a bit of the left-over caramel onto the plate, and carefully drop some of the leftover melted chocolate onto the caramel, and then drag a cocktail stick through it to create a pattern on the plate.
Place the tart on the plate and add a couple of scoops of the ice cream.
