March 17, 2005
Chocolate Caramel Tart
A week or so ago, my schwegermama Elisabeth sat down with me in front of the fireplace and invited me to her girlfriends-only birthday gathering. Knowing me oh so well, she proposed that I make either an appetizer or a dessert. I chose dessert ... and began dreaming up a dessert duo in black and white. After scouring my cooking mags and the usual food sites, I settled on two desserts:
For the white, I went with the Vanilla Pecan Squares featured on Chocolate and Zucchini (Thanks Clotilde!). As my other dessert was more complicated, I liked the simple approach and short list of ingredients. My first batch failed to rise, due to my misunderstanding of the word "food processor". Using my last two eggs (whew), I made a second batch, making sure to whip the eggs this time and using a smaller baking pan. This time, they rose and prevented my nervous breakdown. I want to note that I did not put them in a turned off oven for 30 minutes to dry out. Perhaps my oven runs too hot but they were dry enough after the initial baking time. They were indeed delicious served with sekt (German champagne), which was in constant supply (as usual). I put them in cute little paper sleeves, and they sat on their platter quite happily, looking very pretty among the chattering women.
On the other hand, it took me awhile to decide on the Chocolate Caramel Tart from the MS February 2002 Love issue. It looked so lovely in the magazine that I thought it impossible to reproduce. But it turned out beautifully, exactly as expected, and was a huge hit. No wonder - the crust is a chocolate pate sucree, prebaked and then filled with caramel, nuts, and a layer of chocolate ganache. You dust the top with cocoa powder right before serving. (Ohhhhh yea.)
Unfortunately, I didn't get fabulous pictures of the tart slices themselves -- with all the hubbub of serving and chatting, I let that slide. You'll have to trust me on this one -- it was rich and incredible. When the women nothing-short-of begged me for the recipe before leaving, I knew it was that good.
Notes:
Pecans are in difficult to find in Germany so I substituted walnuts - they worked perfectly. I think that almonds or hazelnuts would also work in both recipes.
Recipe follows...
Chocolate Caramel Tart
Ingredients:
1 cup chopped pecans, walnuts, or nut of your desire;
1 cup sugar;
1/4 teaspoon salt;
1/4 cup water;
1 1/2 cups heavy cream;
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temp;
1 teaspoon vanilla extract;
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped;
Cocoa, for dusting;
1 portion Chocolate Pate Sucree (recipe follows).
Method:
Preheat the oven to 350F degrees.
Roll the chocolate pate sucree to 1/8" thick and fit into a 9" fluted tart pan with a removable bottom. Dock the bottom of the tart with a fork. Refrigerate the shell for 30 minutes.
Place chopped nuts on a baking sheet and toast until slightly darkened and fragrant, about 10 minutes, and set aside.
Line tart shell with parchment paper, pressing into edges and cover with dried beans or pastry weights. Place on a baking sheet, bake for 20 minutes.
Remove paper and beans, continue baking until crust is golden, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely.
Make the caramel by placing the sugar, salt and water in a small saucepan.
Bring the mixture to a boil over medium high heat. Wash down the sides of the pan with a wet pastry brush to prevent crystals from forming. Cook, gently swirling (do not stir) until the caramel is a rich amber color. Remove from heat and add 1/2 c of cream, butter and vanilla. Stir until smooth.
Pour mixture into chocolate tart shell. Sprinkle with toasted pecans and place in the refrigerator while melting the chocolate.
Place chocolate in a medium heat-proof bowl. Bring remaining cup of cream to a boil in a small saucepan. Pour over the chocolate, let sit for 5 minutes.
Stir until completely smooth. Pour over caramel and pecans.
Return tart to refrigerator and chill for at least 1 hour.
To serve, dust the top with cocoa powder.
Chocolate Pate Sucree
Ingredients
1 1/4 cups flour
2 tablespoons cocoa
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled, cut into pieces
3 large egg yolks
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Method:
Place the flour, cocoa, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse several times to combine. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal, about 10 seconds. Add the egg yolks and vanilla and process just until the mixture begins to hold together, no more than 30 seconds. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and form a disk. Cover in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes or until ready to use.
(According to Clotilde's good advice, this tart can be made a day ahead and stored in the refrigerator.)
Recipe Source: Martha Stewart Living, Issue 99.
