Salted Caramel Tart Recipe

Salted caramel, a dessert development that took off within the early 2000s, continues to captivate each house cooks and pastry cooks. It has confirmed to be one of the vital beloved taste combos, enhancing all the things from brownies to apple pie to s’mores. This tart — a dessert that grabbed the eye of pastry followers early on within the rise of salted caramel — reveals precisely why its attraction hasn’t light, providing a sweet-salty steadiness that also feels contemporary and irresistible.

Wealthy, buttery caramel features added complexity because of the easy addition of salt, giving this tart its signature profile. Pourable whereas nonetheless heat, the caramel turns into agency and chewy as soon as it cools, and its toffee notes distinction with the bitter (and barely fruity) darkish chocolate ganache that’s layered excessive. The crisp, flaky tart shell is absolutely baked earlier than filling, forming an ideal complement to the luscious silkiness inside. Use aluminum foil to line the tart shell whereas it bakes — it molds neatly to the pan and retains the dough from puffing or slipping in the course of the baking course of.

This tart can be a superb alternative for entertaining, because of handy make-ahead choices. The dough might be ready and refrigerated for a number of days, whereas the absolutely baked tart shell might be frozen so when it’s time to serve, all it is advisable to do is add the caramel and end with ganache.

Salt issues

The kind of salt you utilize makes all of the distinction. Fantastic kosher salt is right for the caramel as a result of it dissolves evenly and seasons with out overwhelming the sweetness. For ending, flaky sea salt is the only option. Its delicate, pyramid-shaped crystals don’t dissolve as shortly, in order that they add a delicate crunch in opposition to the silky ganache. Every crystal delivers a clear burst of salinity and a contact of sparkle, creating lovely distinction in opposition to the darkish chocolate topping.

You may as well play with taste by switching up the kind of salt you utilize to complete the tart. Fleur de sel retains issues elegant and conventional. Smoked sea salt provides a delicate savory depth, whereas vanilla-infused salt pairs fantastically with the tart’s buttery crust and caramel. For a brighter end, strive citrus salt made with orange or lemon zest — the contemporary, aromatic notes spotlight each the chocolate and the caramel layers.

For a stunning crust

It takes just some key steps to create a buttery, flaky crust that holds up fantastically to the wealthy filling. Begin with chilly butter. As soon as the dough is fashioned, chill it so the flour hydrates and the gluten relaxes — this prevents the crust from shrinking because it bakes. Blind baking, which suggests partially or absolutely baking a crust earlier than it’s crammed, is important for this tart because it isn’t cooked additional earlier than filling with the caramel. To blind bake, line the dough with foil and fill it with pie weights or dried beans to maintain it in place and guarantee even baking.

Notes from the Meals & Wine Take a look at Kitchen

• To stop scorching the caramel, keep away from utilizing nonstick, skinny, or dark-bottomed saucepans, the latter of which make it troublesome to see the caramel coloration because it develops.
• For the smoothest ganache, stir gently (don’t whip!) to keep away from growing a grainy texture.
• If the tart chills for greater than an hour, let it stand at room temperature for five to 10 minutes earlier than garnishing with salt and slicing.

This recipe was developed by Melissa Grey-Streett; the textual content was written by Cheryl Slocum.