Chocolate-Pecan-Caramel Election Night Tart
I made this mini chocolate tart during the US 2020 Election while waiting for the results to come in and the name has just stuck. It's a delicious tart that can be enjoyed whenever you're in the mood for something a little bit decadent (no need for an election I promise).I've included a layer of salted caramel and a layer of toasted pecans which really add to this fantastic dessert. It's sized for two people and makes a small 5-inch tart, but you could easily scale it up for a larger pan if you would like to, trippeling the recipe should give you enough for an 8 inch tart.
Ingredients
Pastry
- 50 g flour
- 25 g butter
- pinch of salt
- pinch of sugar
- 2.5 tsps ice water
Caramel
- 30 g sugar
- 12 g butter
- 20 g cream
- pinch salt
- 1/4 tsp vanilla extract optional
Toasted Pecans
- 25 g pecans
Chocolate ganache
- 50 g dark chocolate
- 50 g cream
Instructions
Make the pastry
- Begin by combining the flour, salt, and sugar in a medium mixing bowl. Add in the butter and rub the butter into the flour with your fingers until you get a crumbly mixture with no large pieces of butter. You can also do this in the food processor by pulsing the ingredients together until just combined.
- Add the water to the pastry and mix it in then knead gently until you are just about able to bring the pastry together into a dough. You want to avoid mixing it too much, because that will result in a tough pastry. You can also add a tiny bit more water if it’s still too dry. Once you can gather it into a messy ball, wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for half an hour.
Make the caramel
- To make the caramel pour the sugar into a small saucepan and heat over medium heat stirring consistently until the sugar melts. It will clump together and slowly start to melt and then turn golden. Be careful not to let it burn at this point!
- Once the sugar is golden brown add in the butter and mix consistently until it’s melted. If the mixture separates then pull it off the heat and whisk it until it comes back together.
- Whisk in the cream. At first, the caramel will seize up but just keep stirring until it smooths back out.
- Flavor the caramel with salt and vanilla extract and taste to make sure you are happy with the flavor balance. Add more salt, vanilla, or cream depending on your preferences!
- Leave the caramel to the side while you prepare your pastry.
Bake the pastry
- Preheat the oven to 375 F
- Roll out the pastry and line a small 5inch tart ring with the pastry. To do so, gently place the pastry over the ring, or tart tin, and lift the edges while you press the pastry down into the corners of the ring. The aim here is to make sure the pastry reaches the edges without stretching the pastry too much while you do so. Don’t worry if it’s a bit scruffy - you can clean it up later if you want or just leave it as is!
- Prick the base of the pastry with a fork a few times and then place the pastry in the freezer for 5 minutes.
- Take the pastry out of the freezer and line with tin foil or parchment paper and then fill with pie weights, dried beans, or rice.
- Bake the pastry for 15 minutes, remove the weights and paper, and bake for another 5 minutes or until the base is a light golden brown.
Toast the pecans
- Toast the pecans in a pan over medium heat for 5 - 10 minutes or until they are nicely toasted and your kitchen starts to smell like toasted pecans! Remember to mix them occasionally to prevent burning.
Prepare the chocolate ganache
- Chop the chocolate and place in a heatproof bowl.
- Microwave the cream until simmering (about 45 seconds but check it after 30).
- Pour the cream over the chocolate and cover the bowl with a plate and let it sit for 5 minutes.
Prepare the tart
- Tip the caramel into the baked tart ring, you may want to rewarm it a bit if it’s difficult to pour, then spread the pecans on top.
- While the caramel sets grab the chocolate and cream mixture and stir it until it’s smooth then pour it over the pecans. Smooth the top slightly with a spoon if you would like and then let the tart set in the fridge for 15 minutes or until the ganache is set.
Notes
If you don’t have a 5-inch tart tin you can either scale the recipe up for a larger ring or make these in cupcake pans. You should be able to make two regular cupcake sized tarts with this recipe. Just follow all the same instructions but divide your fillings between the two tarts.