This tart is the very definition of decadence. I have been wanting to using Careme Pastry for a little while now, I see it every time I am in my local gourmet store, but since I quite like making my own pastry I haven’t really seen the need. I had some salted caramel left over from my Cannoli recipe which I posted earlier this week and I was wondering how best to use it, because it is dangerous just sitting in my fridge. Certain people (ahm, me) feel the need to have a spoon of pure salted caramel each time they open the fridge and that is just not any good for my thighs. Best to use it to make something that can be shared among many people’s thighs. Pastry is a labour of love, and almost impossible midweek in a household with 4 kids, so I popped to the store, bought the Careme’s Dark Chocolate Pastry, blind baked it, make a super quick ganache and there was a gorgeous dessert waiting to be eaten within 30 minutes. I should caveat that when you allow it a few hours to set, its both easier to eat but also more tasty because you can discern the difference between the salted caramel and the choc ganache. Anyone who knows me however knows that patience is not my strong suit, so my husband and I shared one tart when it was still gooey and unset and had the second one the next day.

The pastry has a dark chocolate crust – which is not something that you find commonly, but I really dont know why this is the case, because  it is SOO amazing. Next comes the Salted Caramel  layer which is silky and smooth and somehow that little bit of salt makes the sweetness of the caramel all the more tasty. A simple choc ganache tops it off and be prepared for a rich experience when you take your first bite.

Ingredients
1 packet of Careme Dark Chocolate Shortcrust Pastry
1 quantity Salted caramel
60 g dark chocolate crushed
1/4 cup cream warmed to scalding

Method
1. Start by placing the pastry into greased tart tins
2. Prepare the pastry for blind baking by placing a sheet of baking paper on top, then filling with pastry weights or beans as I have done below
3. Blind bake in a 180 degrees Celscius oven (non fan forced) for 7 minutes

2. Remove the beans and pastry and bake for a further 2 minutes to crisp up
3. Remove from the oven and leave to cool

To make the salted caramel

1. Place 50  grams of sugar in a pot over medium heat, and stir constantly while it melts.

2. As its starts to melt add some more sugar and keep adding gradually until it is all melted. Do not allow to burn.

3. Once the sugar is completely melted add the butter, stir until incorporated.

4. Meanwhile warm the cream in the microwave until it is slightly warm, and add to the caramel mixture gradually while stirring until it’s a smooth homogenous mixture. Dont be alarmed if a sugar ball forms, just keep stirring continuously over low heat and it will dissolve into the rest of the caramel mixture

5. Add salt to taste

To make the Ganache
1. Add the scalded cream to the crushed chocolate in a bowl and whisk vigorously until combined

Assemble
1. once the tart shells are cool, fill with the salted caramel

2. then pour over the ganache and using a palate knife spread to cover

3. leave to set for a few hours

Serve!

Happy cooking xx