Description
Rich chocolate salted caramel tarts blend velvety ganache with buttery caramel on a crisp shortbread crust. Dark chocolate and sea salt create a luxurious dessert experience for passionate bakers seeking elegant indulgence.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 ¼ cups (160 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- 200 g (7 oz) semi-sweet or dark chocolate, chopped
- 1 cup (240 ml) heavy cream
- ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ cup (115 g) unsalted butter, cold and cubed
- 1 large egg yolk
- 12 tbsps cold water
- 6 tbsps (85 g) unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into pieces
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp sea salt
- Flaky sea salt
- Chocolate shavings or cocoa powder (optional)
Instructions
- Pastry Preparation: Pulse flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor. Add cold butter until mixture resembles sandy texture. Incorporate egg yolk and minimal cold water, pulsing until dough forms. Shape into a disc, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Tart Shell Formation: Roll out chilled dough and press into tart molds. Fork-pierce base to prevent bubbling. Line with parchment and weight with ceramic beads. Bake at 180C for 15 minutes. Remove weights and continue baking until shell turns golden. Cool completely.
- Caramel Crafting: Melt sugar in a heavy pan, stirring periodically until amber-colored. Cautiously add butter, whisking thoroughly. Stream in heavy cream while stirring, causing vigorous bubbling. Blend in vanilla extract and sea salt until smooth.
- Layering Process: Pour caramel into cooled tart shells, filling halfway. Refrigerate to set caramel layer. Simultaneously, create ganache by heating cream near simmering point. Pour over finely chopped chocolate. Rest briefly, then stir until glossy. Incorporate butter for richness.
- Finishing Touches: Cover caramel with ganache, ensuring even distribution. Chill to set completely. Before serving, garnish with flaky sea salt and optional chocolate shavings. Serve chilled or at room temperature, potentially paired with fresh berries or vanilla ice cream.
Notes
- Optimize Butter Temperature: Keep butter cold and cut into small cubes for the pastry base. Chilled butter creates flakier, more tender crust by preventing gluten development and maintaining small fat pockets.
- Prevent Caramel Burning: Use a light-colored pan to monitor sugar’s color transformation accurately. Stir gently and consistently to ensure even heating and prevent sudden scorching or crystallization.
- Control Ganache Texture: Chop chocolate uniformly and use high-quality dark chocolate with 60-70% cocoa content. Allow hot cream to sit momentarily before stirring to create a smooth, glossy ganache without splitting.
- Enhance Flavor Balance: Sprinkle flaky sea salt strategically on top just before serving. The salt crystals provide textural contrast and intensify the chocolate and caramel’s deep, complex flavors, creating a sophisticated taste experience.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Desserts
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: French
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 9
- Calories: 367
- Sugar: 26 g
- Sodium: 85 mg
- Fat: 25 g
- Saturated Fat: 15 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 37 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Cholesterol: 73 mg