SALTED CARAMEL, PEAR AND PECAN CHOCOLATE TART
 
 
Ingredients
  • CHOCOLATE PASTRY:
  • 175g unsalted butter, softened
  • 100g icing (powdered) sugar, sifted
  • Pinch of salt
  • ½ an egg, or large egg yolk (30g)
  • Drop of vanilla extract
  • 225g plain flour
  • 25g cocoa powder
  • SALTED CARAMEL MOUSSE:
  • 112g caster (superfine) sugar
  • 55g cream
  • 10g glucose
  • 6g honey
  • drop vanilla
  • 67g egg yolk
  • 7.5g gelatin sheet (3.75 sheets gold strength)
  • 337g semi whipped cream
  • 1 - 2 tsp sea salt, to taste
  • SALTED CARAMEL:
  • 120g heavy cream
  • 150g caster (superfine) sugar
  • 10g unsalted butter, softened
  • 2 tsp sea salt, to taste
  • ¼ cup pecans, toasted and finely chopped
  • POACHED PEAR:
  • 1 L water
  • 500g caster (superfine) sugar
  • ½ a vanilla pod, seeds scraped out
  • 2 cinnamon sticks
  • 1 star anise
  • 1 orange
  • 1 pear
  • PRALINE PASTE:
  • ¼ cup caster (superfine) sugar
  • ¼ cup hazelnuts, blanched and toasted
  • ⅛ tsp veg oil
  • PRALINE CRUNCH:
  • 60g milk chocolate
  • 60g dark chocolate
  • 2 tbsp praline paste
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 1 cup feuilletine
  • CHOCOLATE GLAZE:
  • 180g heavy cream
  • 180g dark chocolate, finely chopped
  • ¾ tbsp glucose (corn) syrup
Method
  1. CHOCOLATE PASTRY:
  2. To make the pastry, cream the butter, icing sugar and salt until free of lumps.
  3. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until combined.
  4. Sift in the flour and cocoa and beat on a low speed until just incorporated.
  5. Gather the pastry together and form into a disc. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour.
  6. Once the pastry had chilled, remove it from the fridge and grease a 9 inch round tart tin.
  7. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pastry until it is about ½ cm thick, or 2 inches larger than the base of your tin.
  8. Lift the pastry and place it into the tart tin, pressing it into the base, corners, and sides. Refrigerate for half an hour.
  9. Preheat the oven to 180 C (350 F) and prepare your tart shell to be blind baked. Line it with baking paper and fill with rice.
  10. Bake for 20 minutes or so, until the pastry is cooked through (it will no longer look wet). You may need to uncover it for the last few minutes.
  11. Remove the tart shell from the oven, take out the rice and paper, and set aside to cool.
  12. Once cool, remove from the tart tin and place on your serving plate, ready for it to be filled.
  13. CARAMEL MOUSSE:
  14. Grease and line the base and sides of an 8.5 inch round tin with cling film and set aside.
  15. Heat the cream, glucose, honey and vanilla in a small pot until melted and combined. Set aside but keep warm.
  16. Make a dry caramel by putting the sugar in a medium pot and heating until it melts. Cook until it is a dark amber colour.
  17. Turn off the heat and pour the warm cream mixture into the caramel, stirring constantly until smooth.
  18. Meanwhile, whisk the egg yolks in a stand mixer until they are thick and pale.
  19. Pour in caramel slowly, while constantly whipping on a high speed.
  20. Soak gelatin in cold water to soften. Squeeze out the excess water and put it in a small metal bowl. Place the small bowl over a larger bowl of hot water, stirring the gelatine until it dissolves into a liquid.
  21. Add it to the caramel mix and stir to combine.
  22. Cool to room temperature.
  23. Fold through the semi whipped cream.
  24. Add sea salt to taste.
  25. Pour into the prepared tin and freeze (reserve a little in a small bowl if you wish to pipe it on top of your cake).
  26. SALTED CARAMEL:
  27. Place the cream in a small saucepan and heat until warm. Set aside.
  28. In a medium saucepan, heat the caster sugar until it melts. Continue to cook until it is a dark amber colour. Do not stir!
  29. Remove the caramel from the heat and pour in the cream, stirring constantly. It will bubble, spit and rise up, so be careful. Stir over heat to melt any lumps that may have formed.
  30. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter and pecans.
  31. Pour into a bowl and refrigerate until cool, then pour into the base of the tart shell.
  32. POACHED PEAR:
  33. Put the water, sugar, vanilla pod and seeds, cinnamon sticks and star anise in a medium saucepan over a high heat. Use a vegetable peeler to peel strips of orange zest into the poaching liquid, then add the juice from the orange. Cover and bring to the boil.
  34. Meanwhile, peed your pear.
  35. Once the liquid is boiling, add the pear. Cut a circle out of baking paper (a cartouche) to fit your pot and place it directly on the surface of the liquid. You can add a plate too, if you need help keeping the pear submerged. Reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes, until the pear is tender when it's base is pierced with a knife.
  36. Allow to cool completely in the poaching liquid.
  37. Once cool, slice the pear into even slices, 3 - 4mm thick. Arrange this in an even layer over the caramel in the tart shell (you can reserve a few pieces of pear to garnish your tart later).
  38. PRALINE PASTE:
  39. Line a tray with baking paper.
  40. Put the sugar in a medium saucepan and add ½ tbsp water. Stir to combine.
  41. Place on the heat and brush down the sides of the pot with a wet pastry brush.
  42. Cook until a deep amber colour. Do not stir.
  43. Turn off the heat and add the hazelnuts. Swirl the pan to coat them in caramel and pour onto the prepared tray.
  44. Spread into an even layer and allow to cool and harden.
  45. Chop the praline into small chunks and blend with the oil in a food processor to make a smooth paste. Set aside.
  46. PRALINE CRUNCH:
  47. Grease and line the base and sides of an 8 inch round tin with baking paper and set aside.
  48. Melt both chocolates and praline together over a bain marie until smooth.
  49. Stir in salt and feuilletine.
  50. Spread in a thin layer in the base of the tin and freeze until set (reserve a few crumbs on a lined baking tray if you'd like to put them on top of your cake).
  51. Once firm, remove from the tin and place it in your tart shell on top of the poached pears.
  52. CHOCOLATE GLAZE:
  53. Place the chocolate and glucose in a heatproof bowl and set aside.
  54. Pour the cream into a saucepan and bring to the boil over a high heat.
  55. Remove from the stove and pour over the chocolate.
  56. Allow to stand for 2 minutes, then stir, starting in the centre and working outwards, until the mixture is smooth, silky, and free from any lumps.
  57. Remove the salted caramel mousse from the tin and plastic and place on a cooling rack over a baking tray.
  58. Transfer your glaze to a jug and working quickly, pour it over the top of the salted caramel mousse.
  59. Using a couple of offset spatulas or egg flips, lift the mousse layer off the rack and place it in the tart on top of the praline crunch.
  60. Allow the glaze to set a little, then decorate as desired.
  61. Keep refrigerated. Serves 10.
  62. Happy baking!
Recipe by Butter Baking at https://www.butterbaking.com/2014/07/07/salted-caramel-pear-and-pecan-chocolate-tart/