Salted Caramel Chocolate Fudge Tart

 

 

 





 





My eldest son has been on alpine camp in the high country this week. He's been trekking, cross-country skiing, snow boarding, cooking in the open air, setting up tents, learning about survival in cold temperatures (and probably not getting enough sleep, not bathing and not changing his clothes... but I don't want to think about that). Every time he returns from camp, I make him something chocolaty (his favourite) to come home to. It's a kind of Pavlov Dog's Response, but in reverse.



Salted Caramel Chocolate Fudge Tart
adapted from here

For the Pastry:
125g unsalted butter, softened
50g caster sugar
pinch of fine sea salt
125g plain flour
80g hazelnut meal
1 egg
For the Salted Caramel:
115g caster sugar
125ml water
250ml cream
1 teaspoon sea salt flakes
50g unsalted butter, cut into 1cm cubes

For the Chocolate Fudge Filling:
100g dark chocolate, chopped
75g unsalted butter
2 eggs, plus 1 yolk
50g caster sugar
1 tablespoon cocoa powder

 

Make the Pastry:
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar for 5 minutes, until light and fluffy. Add the salt, flour and hazelnut meal and mix on low speed until just combined. Add the egg and mix until just incorporated. It will be a sticky dough, not unlike cookie dough. Spoon it out onto a piece of plastic wrap and wrap it up tightly. Chill in the refrigerator for at least on hour.

Preheat the oven to 180C. Slide a baking sheet in the oven to heat up.

Take the pastry out of the refrigerator and crumble it into a 23 cm (9 in) loose-bottomed tart pan. Press the crumble into the sides and base of the pan, making sure there are no holes or cracks. Trim off any excess pastry.

Line the pastry with baking paper, pour in some baking weights and bake for 20 minutes on the heated baking sheet. Remove the weights and paper and return the tart to the baking sheet in the oven to cake for a further 5 - 10 minutes, or until cooked through and golden. Remove from the oven and set aside.

Make the Salted Caramel:
Put the sugar and water into a medium saucepan over medium heat. Swirl the pan until the sugar dissolves then stop swirling and leave to boil for about 5 - 6 minutes until it is a deep golden colour. Do not stir. Remove from the heat, add the cream (it will splutter) and salt, stir and return to the heat to cook for a further 3 minutes. Remove from the heat, whisk in the butter, one cube at a time.

Pour the salted caramel into the cooked tart base. Set aside.

Make the Chocolate Fudge Filling:
Put the butter and chocolate into a heatproof bowl and set the bowl over a pan of simmering water. Don't let the pan touch the water. Stir until melted, remove from the heat and set aside to cool slightly.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg, egg yolk and sugar until pale and thick, about 5 minutes. Stop the mixer and using a large metal spoon, carefully fold the cocoa powder and melted chocolate mixture.

Pour the filling into the tart on top of the salted caramel. Put the tart pan back on the baking sheet and bake for a further 20 - 25 minutes, until the top has formed a crust. Remove from the oven, and transfer the tart pan to a wire rack. Allow to cool completely in the pan before slicing.