If you are after a special dessert, you can’t go past a Chocolate Caramel Macadamia Tart. It has a lovely chocolate pastry shell, a filling of chocolate ganache, and is topped with a delicious layer of caramel and macadamias. It is extra scrumptious when served with a vanilla bean ice-cream.
Sarah baked this wonderful treat for a special dinner with extended family visiting from the UK. She adapted Martha Stewart’s recipe for Chocolate Macadamia Tartlets. It was absolutely delicious!
Pastry (Pate Sucree Chocolat)
Ingredients
- 1 1/8 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/8 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons (3 ounces ) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
- 1 large egg yolk, lightly beaten
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1-2 tablespoons cold heavy cream or ice water
Directions
- Pulse flour, sugar, cocoa, and salt in a food processor until combined. Add butter, and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal, about 10 seconds. Add yolk, vanilla and 1 tablespoon water/cream, and process until mixture just begins to hold together (no longer than 30 seconds). If dough is too dry, add remaining water/cream.
- Shape dough into a disk. Wrap in plastic, and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour (or up to 2 days).
Chocolate Caramel Macadamia Tart
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup macadamia nuts, halved
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons glucose syrup (light corn syrup)
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Pinch of coarse salt, preferably sea salt
- 230 g (8 ounces) dark (bittersweet) chocolate, finely chopped
1 quantity of pastry (Pate Sucree Chocolat)
Directions
- Preheat oven to 190 degrees C (375 degrees F). Place dough on a piece of parchment; roll out in a rectangle to 1/8 inch thick. Transfer to a baking sheet; chill 10 minutes. Remove from refrigerator. Line a 35 x 13 cm (approx 14 x 5 inch) tart pan with removable bottom with pastry, pressing into corners. Prick bottom of tart all over with a fork. Chill at least 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, spread nuts in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet; toast until golden and fragrant, about 10 minutes. Remove from oven; set aside.
- Remove tart shell from refrigerator; line with parchment, pressing into edges. Fill with dried beans or pie weights. Place on a baking sheet; bake 20 minutes. Remove paper and beans; continue baking until crust is firm, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Make caramel: In a small saucepan, bring sugar, glucose syrup, and the water to a boil over medium-high heat; wash down sides of pan with a pastry brush dipped in water to prevent crystals from forming. Reduce heat to low; cook, swirling pan to color evenly, until caramel is a rich amber color. Remove from heat; carefully add 1/4 cup cream (it will spatter), butter, vanilla, and salt. Stir until smooth. Let cool slightly; stir in nuts.
- Make ganache: Place chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Bring remaining 3/4 cup cream to a boil in a small saucepan. Pour over chocolate; whisk until smooth. Cool until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes.
- Spread ganache in cooked pastry shell; spread to coat evenly. Chill until set, about 10 minutes. Remove from refrigerator; pour caramel into shell.
- Store tart in fridge until ready to serve.
For your daily sugar fix you can subscribe or follow us on facebook, twitter, google plus and pinterest.
Oh boy, that looks delicious! It doesn’t matter that our little ones don’t like chocolate. If I have to I can eat this all by myself. But I am definitely going to make this. Thanks for the recipe!
mmmmmmmmm
Not only yummy sounding but pretty. And I LOVE the green kokeshi doll.
Oh yum looks delicious.
OH MY STARS this looks good!
What a beautiful dessert!
Oh wow. I’m sat at work right now, idly surfing through your blog, and I saw these, and I just made the “uh-uh-uhhhhh” noise Homer Simpson makes out loud. Everyone stopped and turned around a stared. I don’t care. they look amazing.