Chocolate caramel tarte

Ingredients

Tart shell

• 125g unsalted butter, cold and diced
• 250g plain flour
• pinch of salt
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 tbsp water, cold

Chewy caramel

• 250g caster sugar
• 50g liquid glucose
• 125g thickened cream
• 150g unsalted butter, cubed
• pinch of sea salt flakes

Chocolate ganache

• 90g good-quality dark chocolate
• 200g thickened cream
• ½ tsp vanilla bean paste

Directions

1. For the pastry, mix the flour, cold butter and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Because the butter is cold, this may take a few minutes. Once the butter is distributed throughout the flour, add the egg yolk and water and mix until the pastry forms a dough. Lightly flour the bench and roll the pastry out to 2mm thick. Transfer the pastry to a 23cm tart tin at least 3.5cm deep and press it into the edges. Trim away the excess pastry and chill the tart shell in the fridge for 1-2 hours.
2. Preheat the oven to 180°C fan-forced (200°C conventional).
3. To blind-bake the pastry, line the tart shell with baking paper, and fill it with baking weights (I use rice and lentils). Bake the tart for 20 minutes before removing the baking paper and weights. Return the tart to the oven and bake for another 15 minutes or until golden brown. Remove the shell from the oven and allow it to cool.
4. For the caramel filling, add the sugar and glucose to a medium saucepan over low-medium heat. As the sugar at the edges of the pan begins to caramelise, stir the mixture with a heatproof spatula to prevent it from burning. Cook the caramel until the sugar has melted and caramelised, and the mixture has darkened to a deep amber.
5. As the sugar caramelises, pour the cream into a medium heatproof bowl. Remove the caramel from the heat and carefully pour it over the cream. The mixture will splatter so be careful not to burn yourself. Add the cubed butter and salt and stir to combine. Place the caramel mixture back onto the heat and cook it until it reaches 120°C on a sugar thermometer – this is important to ensure the caramel sets in the tart shell.
6. Pour the caramel into the prebaked tart shell and allow it to set for 1-2 hours.
7. For the ganache top, combine the chocolate, cream and vanilla in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave in 30-second bursts, or until the chocolate has completely melted. Whisk the ingredients together until they emulsify and become glossy before pouring the ganache evenly over the caramel layer. Allow the ganache to set (either at room temperature or in the fridge) for 1-2 hours before serving.
8. To serve, cut the tart into wedges while it is still cold using a knife dipped in warm (not hot) water, then dried.

Notes

• This tart would be delightful if the caramel were studded with roasted nuts before the chocolate ganache layer is poured over. Peanuts, hazelnuts or macadamias would all be delicious.
• You can use any chocolate you love for the ganache – dark, milk or white. If using white, double the quantity of chocolate to ensure it sets correctly.