Chocolate Tart with Salted Caramel
·Making the cocoa crumble
In a bowl, mix the dry ingredients. Add the cold cubed butter and work it in with your fingers, or use a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, until it resembles coarse crumbs. Work quickly so the butter doesn't start to soften.
Bringing the dough together and chilling
Add the egg to the crumb mixture and mix just briefly, until the dough comes together into a ball. Don't overwork it! Wrap in plastic wrap and let it rest in the fridge for at least 2 hours, or overnight.
Preparing the white ganache base
Pour the warm cream (100g, heated to 85°C) over the white chocolate and stir with a spatula until smooth. Add the cold cream (150g). Blend with a stick blender, then leave in the fridge overnight to cool completely.
Lining the perforated tart ring
Roll out the dough to a thickness of 3 mm. Transfer it onto a perforated baking mat and cut out the base. Roll out the dough offcuts and cut strips; press these firmly against the sides of the ring and onto the base dough. Leave a 1 cm overlap where the pieces join.
Chilling in the freezer
Trim off the excess dough with a knife, cutting from the inside outward. This will give you perfectly sharp, clean edges. Place the lined tart shell in the freezer for 30 minutes so the sides hold their shape during baking. Preheat the oven to 170°C, top and bottom heat.
Baking
Line the frozen tart shell with baking paper and fill with dried beans as a weight. Bake at 170°C for 15 minutes. Then carefully remove the paper and beans and bake for another 10–15 minutes, so the pastry is fully baked through in the centre too.
Removing from the tin
Let the baked shell sit in the ring for 15 minutes. Then remove the ring. If it's sticking, tap it gently with a knife and carefully push up from underneath on the base. Let it cool completely on a wire rack so the shell stays nice and crisp.
Making the chocolate ganache
Heat the cream to just below boiling and pour it over the chocolate. After a minute, stir with a spatula in small circular motions from the centre outward until you get a glossy emulsion. For a perfectly smooth, bubble-free texture, blend briefly with a stick blender, keeping it at the bottom of the bowl.
Filling the tart
Once the ganache has cooled to 35–40°C, stir in the butter and salt. Pour the filling into the cooled tart shell. Leave at room temperature for an hour so the surface settles, then refrigerate for 4–6 hours (ideally overnight) until fully set.
Salted caramel mascarpone cream
Put all the ingredients in a bowl (they must be cold!). Whip on medium speed until the cream is firm and holds soft peaks. The salted caramel gives the cream stability for piping, along with a subtle beige colour.
Hazelnut chocolate cream
Whip the cold ingredients on low speed first, so the hazelnut butter incorporates evenly. Then increase the speed and whip until the cream thickens.
Final decoration and serving
Whip the chilled white ganache until stiff. Pipe all three creams onto the set tart using piping bags. Decorate with chocolate pearls and cocoa crumbs. Let the tart sit for 20 minutes before serving so the chocolate flavour can fully develop.