Salted Chocolate Tarts - perfect for entertaining

A delicious slice of Salted chocolate tart served with creme fraiche

Salted chocolate and salted caramel has been a flavour trend for the last few years now and so I've been meaning to make something along these lines for ages. Originally I was going to do a trio of chocolate deserts or to give it a posher title an assiette of chocolate but time got the better of me. That said, I will definitely make these lovely little tarts again along with a couple of other deserts when I next have friends round for dinner. However, one thing I found was that they were too salty for me, so I will be amending the amount I add next time, other than that they were  fairly straightforward to make and by doing the pastry in the food processor it did mean you ended up with a light melt-in-the mouth texture.

This recipe, Salted Chocolate Tarts With Caramelised Pecans page 250, comes from one of my favourite books of the moment and one that I've only had in my possession since this Christmas: Masterchef Everyday 2012 http://www.amazon.co.uk/MasterChef-EveryDay-DK-Cookery-General/dp/1405394358/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1369689152&sr=1-1&keywords=masterchef+everyday  The 'everyday' aspect of the book focuses on 20 recipes that the presenters, John Torode and Greg Wallace from the popular television series, have adapted to make them more user friendly for the likes of us to incorporate into our weekly repertoire of meals. There is also of course the usual Masterchef recipes that have featured in the programmes by the likes of celebrities such as England Rugby player Phil Vickery, musician Danny Goffey or journalist and presenter Kirsty Wark as well as  the recipes from the contestants of the general public. As always the food is beautifully assembled and presented with the obvious attentions to detail. The photography is excellent, although not all recipes are accompanied with a picture, however, where you do get a photograph, it will give you the confidence to recreate the look at home. The recipes that have been simplified for 'everyday' are dishes such as Pan-fried Gurnard page 74, Tea-smoked Duck page 122, White Chocolate Parfait page 254 and Trio of Italian Desserts page 290.

The last section of the book is entitled 'What's in my fridge?' and aims to offer quick and easy meals using ingredients in said fridge. It concentrates on chicken, bacon, cheese, eggs for example. So you get on page 336 the Perfect Omelette and a recipe for Tortilla, on page 330 it's Grilled Lemon and Honey Chicken.

I must also mention that the contestants are not just a name and photograph attributed to their respective recipes, the first section of the book is dedicated to giving a brief outline of all the 'people' involved. I think this grounds the book in a reality that is then demonstrated by the contestants' passion and enthusiasm for each of their recipes.

Salted Chocolate Tarts With Caramelized Pecans (copyright 2012 Dorling Kindersley Limited)

Serves 4
For the pastry
90g softened butter
40g caster sugar
1 egg yolk
125g plain flour                                                       

Making the pastry in the food processor

2 tsp cocoa powder
For the filling
175g dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids)
175ml double cream
175g light muscovado sugar
1 and half tsp sea salt (Beware! Next time I'm reducing to about 1tsp!)
For the pecans
100g Caster sugar
12 pecan halves
pinch of sea salt
To serve
chilled creme fraiche

1. Pulse the butter and sugar in the food processor, add the egg yolk. Sift the flour and cocoa into the mixture and pulse until the mixture just comes together. The dough should be soft but not sticky. Wrap in cling film and rest in the fridge for about 45 minutes.
2. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees centigrade (400 degrees Fahrenheit). Roll out the pastry and use to line four 8-10cm (3-4in) loose-bottomed tartlet tins, making sure there aren't any holes. Line the tarts with greaseproof paper, fill with baking beans, and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the beans and paper, and cook for another 5 minutes. Allow to cool. 
3. To make the filling, put the chocolate, cream, muscovado sugar, and salt in a large bowl over a saucepan of gently simmering water. Stir occasionally until the mixture is melted and completely smooth. Spoon the filling into the pastry cases and put in the fridge for about 2 hours until set.     
4. To make the caramelized pecans, put the caster sugar and 2 tbsp water into a saucepan and dissolve completely over a very low heat, shaking the pan occasionally. Turn up the heat and boil until it turns golden brown. Working quickly, stir through the pecans and sea salt, then transfer onto a baking sheet lined with baking parchment, spreading out with a spatula. When cool, break up the pecans, trying to keep each one whole. When the tarts have almost set, top each one with 3 pecans. Serve with very cold creme fraiche.
   
   
   
   

   

   The prepared pastry ready for chilling

   

   Making the chocolate filling

   

   The filled pastry cases

   
   

Caramelising the pecans

A finished tart

A member of the household decided to add their own personal touch in the form of tangerine segments!

So how could you simplify this recipe? The book suggests that you could use bought sweet shortcrust pastry. Instead of making homemade caramelized pecans you could decorate with bough chocolate-coated pecans.

Next time: in the pipeline I have a lovely mini doughnut recipe from master baker Richard Bertinet. Also, Greg Wallace's wonderful rhubarb crumble...