Chocolate Caramel Tart

Chocolate Caramel Tart

  • Prep Time: 1 hrs
  • Total Time: 1 hrs 30 mins
  • Servings: 12
  • About This Recipe

    “Ultra-rich and indulgent, worth every effort.”

    Ingredients

    Crust

  • 1 1/4 cupsflour
  • 4teaspoonssugar
  • 1/8 teaspoonsalt
  • 2teaspoonsgrated lemons, zest of
  • 3/4 cupunsalted butter, cold,cut into small pieces
  • 1largeegg yolk
  • 3/4 teaspoonvanilla extract
  • Chocolate Layer

  • 1cupwhipping cream
  • 8ounces bittersweet chocolate or 8ouncessemisweet chocolate, chopped
  • Caramel Layer

  • 3/4 cupsugar
  • 1/3 cupwater
  • 1/3 cupwhipping cream
  • 5teaspoonsunsalted butter
  • 1pinchsalt
  • 3/4 teaspoonvanilla extract
  • 1/2 cupchopped, toasted pecans(optional)
  • Directions

  • To make the crust, mix the flour, sugar, salt and lemon peel in a food processor.
  • Add the butter, followed by the egg yolk and vanilla.
  • Process the dough it begins to hold together in clumps.
  • Gather the dough and flatten into a disk and wrap in plastic wrap.
  • Chill for at least 20 minutes.
  • (You can also make the dough by hand by cutting th butter then mixing in the remaining ingredients, but a food processor makes it easy.) Preheat oven to 400° F.
  • Roll out dough and fit in a 9 or 10 inch tart pan.
  • Pierce the surface of the crust all over with a fork to keep it from bubbly up during baking.
  • Place tart pan with dough in the freezer for 10 minutes, then bake for 15-20 minutes or until crust is golden brown.
  • Cool on a wire rack.
  • To make chocolate filling, place cream in a heavy saucepan and bring to a boil.
  • Remove from heat and stir in the chocolate.
  • Continue stirring until chocolate is completely melted and mixture is smooth.
  • Spread 1 1/4 cup of the chocolate filling inn the bottom of the tart crust.
  • NOTE: If you plan on topping your tart with chopped nuts, then put all the chocolate mixture in the baked tart crust.
  • If you’re not using nuts, reserve the remaining chocolate for the top layer decoration.
  • Chill the tart crust filled with chocolate for about 30 minutes.
  • To make the caramel, combine the sugar and water in a heavy saucepan and stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves.
  • Increase the heat and boil the syrup until it becomes golden brown in color, about 6-8 minutes.
  • Remove the mixture from the heat and stir in the cream, butter, vanilla and salt.
  • Be careful, the mixture will bubble up.
  • Return to the stove and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly.
  • Chill for about 20 minutes.
  • Spoon the caramel layer over the chocolate tart.
  • If you’re not using nuts, put remaining chocolate in a pastry bag and pipe decorative squiggles (technical term) or designs over the surface of the tart.
  • You can also randomly drizzle on the chocolate.
  • If you’re using nuts, sprinkle the nuts over the caramel layer instead.
  • Reviews

  • “I was looking for something special for a birthday treat, this is it, it was devine, I topped it with a layer of whipped cream and sprinkled some of the chocolate layer of the cream.”

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