Chocolate, Caramel & Hazelnut Tart
A rich decadent tart, beautifully decorated with berries for balance. The perfect treat for sharing with guests or with the family.
Ingredients
Base alternatively you can buy a pack of shortcrust pastry
200g plain flour
1 tbsp icing sugar
150g cold butter
1 tbsp almond extract
1 egg yolk
Caramel
75g caster sugar
125ml double cream
30g butter
Pinch sea salt flakes
50g chopped hazelnuts
Chocolate filling
100g good quality dark chocolate
70g butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs and 2 yolk
50g caster sugar
1 tbsp cocoa
Firstly, rub the sieved flour, sugar and cold butter in a bowl until it’s well combined. Add the egg yolk and knead on a clean surface for 3 -5 minutes. Wrap the dough in cling film and leave it in the fridge for 1 hour.
Heat your oven to 160c/ gas mark 4. Roll the dough on a flat surface then put it onto the pastry tin, ensuring it covers the bottom and sides- now poke the base a few times with a folk. We’re going to blind bake this so cover with baking paper and top the paper with baking beans, rice is a good alternative to the beans. We do this to keep the paper in place, helps the pastry stay a light colour as we will bake it twice- bake this for 20 minutes.
Now time for the caramel, on a low heat add the sugar onto a pan. It will dissolve into a dark brown colour but you have to be patient with it, do not mix ( I know it’s tempting). Once caramelised add the butter and quickly stir. Add and pinch of sea salt and the cream. Add the finished caramel onto the cool pasty and sprinkle the hazelnuts and leave to one side.
Lastly for the chocolate filling melt the butter and chocolate in a heat proof bowl over hot boiling water, make sure the water does not touch the bowl. Whisk the eggs and sugar for 10 minutes till it is thick and pale. Add the chocolate into the eggs and combined well at this stage add 1 tablespoon of cocoa power, then top the filling into the caramel pasty. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Decorate your tart with berries and hazelnuts.