Wednesday, November 09, 2016

On the MENU this week: Salted Caramel and Chocolate tarts

This recipe makes 12 individual tarts . We bought the tart cases ready made but you can make you own and prebake them. Use a short crust pastry. When they are cooked and turned out, you make these two fillings, fill, cool and serve, so the pastry does not get cooked again.
Salted Caramel: 1/2 cup (125ml)single (pouring) cream - 25g butter - 165g white sugar - 1/4 cup water - sea salt flakes
Before you start have the butter and cream ready and waiting on the side of the stove. In a small pan, mix the sugar and the water and bring to a boil. Let it reach 150C and turn to a nice dark (but not burnt) caramel. Remove from the heat and immediate put in the butter and cream. It will bubble up alarmingly, stir well until it subsides. Do not touch at this stage, it is like lava and will burn you. When it has cooled somewhat and you can taste a drop of it, add the salt to your taste, a quarter teaspoon is probably enough. Fill each tart case with the caramel to 2/3rd full. Leave space for the chocolate. Set aside to cool. When it has done so, it is time to make the ganache
Chocolate Ganache
75 g of good 70% or 85% dark chocolate - 1/4 cup of cream - a little sugar if necessary
Break up the chocolate and begin to melt it over warm water. Heat the cream separately to just below boiling point - it must not boil. Add to the melting chocolate and stir well till it combines into a thick ganache. If you overheat it, it will not be shiny. Taste and add a little sugar if it is too bitter for you, a teaspoon or 2 should do it. But don't forget the caramel is very sweet. Pour on enough to fill the tarts. Decorate each one with something small, like gold leaf, gold dust or a tiny edible flower
© John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus 2016

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