Daring Bakers Challenge: Milk Chocolate and Caramel Tart

When you join the Daring Bakers there's always great anticipation at the beginning of each month.  That's when we discover the recipe chosen by that month's host.  Speculating to myself about possible choices, I thought a tart would be nice.  So, I was quite happy to see this month's challenge, devised by our fabulous hosts, Veron at Veronica's Test Kitchen and Patricia at Technicolor Kitchen, was Eric Kayser’s Milk Chocolate and Caramel Tart.  I'm a big caramel fan, and looked forward to making the tart.  But, this was a month full of chaos and stress, and I kept procrastinating.  At one point, I decided to skip the whole thing. Then one Daring Baker said her effort tasted like a Heath Bar. Well, that did it.  I was hooked.  With only two days left until the deadline, I had to make the darn thing.  Luckily, it was sinfully delicious--and did taste like an over the top Heath Bar.  And it wasn't hideously difficult to make.  As for my decoration....... it was just like my month.  Chaotic. When I have a pile of pulverized caramel shards in front of me, I must fling them with abandon. 

To begin with, my task was made difficult by the fact that I'm rehabbing six baby squirrels, which required my total attention at regular intervals of every two hours all day long.  I would rush into the "nursery" and prepare and feed formula to the incredibly self centered balls of cuteness, clean and tuck them into their beds, wash their bedding, etc.  Then I would wash my hands and arms like a surgeon and rush to the kitchen to work on the tart.  Things got a tad confusing for me. Fortunately, I didn't put baby formula in the tart or feed chocolate to the squirrels.   I made the chocolate shortbread dough the night before, but couldn't find my rolling pin. So, I wound up using my fingers to press the dough into the tart and tartlet pans.  The dough isn't the typical short crust pastry. It was very easy to make in my food processor. 

Then I blind baked them (but forgot to dock them with the fork), with pinto beans in parchment for 15 minutes.

The next task was to make the caramel layer, which required making caramel the "dry" way.  Major hate!   I was annoyed, because it took quite a bit of time.  The dry method entails waiting for sugar to melt over medium heat, with no liquid added to speed things along.  Frankly, I was most successful making caramel this way, but I hated it anyway.  Once it was done, I added cream, eggs and flour to make a custard, which was then poured into the baked tart shells.

Frankly, this was a bit perplexing. The small tartlets, cooked perfectly.  But, the large tart, which I baked 15 minutes, exactly as the recipe stated, was still very liquid and runny. But, other Daring Bakers had the same experience and said it would firm up after it went in the fridge.  That was fine with me, because I had squirrels to feed and clothes to wash.

I then made the chocolate mousse, and learned that the brand of chocolate I bought was deceptively labeled.  LIARS!  They said it weighed 255 grams.  The recipe called for 250 grams and the package actually weighed 233 grams. Swine!

The mousse is quite simple, just melted chocolate and whipped cream combined together and slathered on top of the tarts. I topped them with crushed caramel and put the tarts into the fridge, for the one hour waiting period specified in the recipe. 

At the end of that hour, I found that the tartlets were perfect. The caramel layer was set, the crust was tender and delicate, and the mousse was delicious.

But, my large tart was runny.  I had to put it back into the fridge for another hour to firm it up. It was still a bit runny and I assume that it will firm up more, as time passes.

I enjoyed the taste of the tart a great deal.  It's quite rich and does taste like a Heath Bar to me.  While making it, I wondered if I would like the crust, because it had a good bit of cinnamon in it. To my surprise, I liked it very much.   I must caution people to start with a small serving, or you could be overwhelmed.  Thank you Patricia and Veron, I enjoyed this tart. 

Now, if you want to see marvelous versions of this recipe, you must go to the The Daring Baker's Blogroll and spend some time looking at the efforts of the other members. We have some very talented people in our group and they will amaze you. You will also learn the story of how The Daring Bakers was created by Ivonne and Lis.

If you'd like to make this yourself, here is the recipe. 

Milk Chocolate and Caramel Tart

(Eric Kayser, Savory and Sweet Tarts)

Preparation time: 40 minutes
Baking Time: 30 minutes
Refrigeration time: 1 hour
One 9-inch(24-cm) square pan; 1 10-inch (26-cm) round baking pan

Ingredients
½ lb (250 g) chocolate shortbread pastry (see recipe below)
1 ½ cups (300 g) granulated sugar
1 cup (250 g) heavy cream (30-40 percent butterfat) or crème fraiche
¼ cup (50 g) butter
2 whole eggs
1 egg yolk
2 ½ tablespoons (15 g) flour
1 ¼ cups (300 g) whipping cream
½ lb (250 g) milk chocolate

1. Preheat oven to 325 °F (160 °C).
2. Line the baking pan with the chocolate shortbread pastry and bake blind for 15 minutes.
3. In a saucepan, caramelize 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar using the dry method until it turns a golden caramel color. Incorporate the heavy cream or crème fraiche and then add butter. Mix thoroughly. Set aside to cool.
4. In a mixing bowl, beat the whole eggs with the extra egg yolk, then incorporate the flour.
5. Pour this into the cream-caramel mixture and mix thoroughly.
6. Spread it out in the tart shell and bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
7. Prepare the milk chocolate mousse: beat the whipping cream until stiff. Melt the milk chocolate in the microwave or in a bain-marie, and fold it gently into the whipped cream.
8. Pour the chocolate mousse over the cooled caramel mixture, smoothing it with a spatula. Chill for one hour in the refrigerator.

To decorate: melt ½ cup (100g) granulated sugar in a saucepan until it reaches an amber color. Pour it onto waxed paper laid out on a flat surface. Leave to cool. Break it into small fragments and stick them lightly into the top of the tart.

Chocolate Shortbread Pastry

Preparation time: 10 minutes
Refrigeration :overnight
To make 3 tarts, 9 ½ inches (24 cm) square
or 10 inches (26 cm round)

Ingredients:
1 cup (250g ) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (150 g) confectioners’ sugar
½ cup (50 g) ground hazelnuts
2 level teaspoons (5 g) ground cinnamon
2 eggs
4 ½ cups (400 g) cake flour
2 ½ teaspoons (10 g) baking powder
1 ½ tablespoons (10 g) cocoa powder

A day ahead
1. In a mixing bowl of a food processor, cream the butter.
2. Add the confectioners’ sugar, the ground hazelnuts, and the cinnamon, and mix together
3. Add the eggs, one by one, mixing constantly
4. Sift in the flour, the baking powder, and the cocoa powder, and mix well.
5. Form a ball with the dough, cover in plastic wrap, and chill overnight.

Comments

[peabody]

Well you know I am a sucker for the mini tarts. Excellent job on all of them.

[Anne]

the tart looks wonderful and I'm glad you enjoyed it as well :)

[Pille]

I cannot believe you just said that "the mousse is quite simple", as that's where everything went wrong for me:)
But your tart looks beautiful, and I hope it firmed up nicely after storing in the fridge. I wanted to be on the safe side and simply baked it a bit longer.

[Dharm]

Fine looking dessert! Your mousse looks lovely and creamy and I must say I admire your 'squirrel rehabilitation exercise' Well done on both counts! :)

[Kelly-Jane]

You did a great job here, beautiful tarts!

[baking soda]

Creamy goodness! I think you'll find that the mousse eventually firms up after a thorough rest in the fridge. I actually liked it better after a day.

[Meeta]

These are great tarts. Bravo!

[ilva]

Beautiful Sher, how did you make the dough look like that? Like normal?

[Leslie]

Yummy! Your mousse looks so creamy and delightful. Great job!

[Patricia Scarpin]

Your tarts look so pretty, Sher! And I don't think the squirrels would have minded being fed chocolate. ;)

[Rosa]

Wow, Sher that's amazingly beautiful! Your tart looks wonderful and ever so scrumptious! You did a great job here...

[Glenna]

Sher--Looks great! How much of it did you feed the squirrels? They deserve dessert too. :-)

[Butta Buns]

On the challenges you do, I don't know which is better, the story of how it came to be or the product itself.

It looks beautiful! I hope mine turns out this good.

[Deborah]

My caramel layer didn't even firm up after a whole day in the fridge. I'm glad you were able to make it, even if you had to juggle a tart and squirrels! It's beautiful!

[kellypea]

Wow, small and large sizes. Excellent! And "slather" would be the perfect word to describe that mousse. Exactly what I had to do. I think I'm loving that oozing caramel...

[veron]

Oh you did minis too! Fantastic. Your tarts are gorgeous!

[Jenn]

Hi Busy Lady! I know your hands are full with the wee squirrels,...but you did remember to put this tart in the mail to me,...didn't you?
Thanks!!!

[mandira]

the tart looks fabulous sher, i like the combination - caramel and whipped chocolate cream... I feel the urge to reach for those M&Ms on my table... since I can't have the tart!

[Tanna]

Yeah, how did you make that cooked crust look normal - not patched? Mine was totally patchy!
Wonder what would have been the taste result if squirrel formula and tart . . . maybe better not go there.
Your tart is beautiful.

[John]

Oh my God! LOL. I would weigh 900 lbs. if I were within bribing distance of you. : )

[Marce]

Beautiful tarts, Sher. Too bad the poor squirrels didn´t get a single bite!

[Elle]

Love the wild abandon method of decorating with the caramel shards! The small tarts are super cute. I love the comparison to Heath Bars and agree that this was delicious...although I think dark chocolate would be even better. Lovely job!

[Ivonne]

Just. Gorgeous.

You keep flinging those caramel shards, Sher!!!

[mosaic cats]

Oh gosh,
Mosaic Lady would never, EVER, make this, but we did want to comment to say that she, too, has a caramel fetish, and just last night, she tried (for the first time), Stonyfield Farm organic ice cream...Creme Caramel. YUM! Over coconut cheesecake from our local organic food store. YUM! We (SHE) is still re-living the experience.

We really just stopped in to check on you and Upsie but have ONCE AGAIN become distracted by your damn recipes and photos.

ML wishes you were our neighbor.

[Lydia]

I always enjoy reading about the exploits of the Daring Bakers!

[Tartelette]

Great job! The caramel mosaic topping is scrumptious! *Hugs* to you to help with the stress of your days. Be happy, you make a wonderful DB!

[Wendy]

Your tart looks great. Your crust looks wonderful and thin. Wendy

[Belinda]

Wow, Sher..your tarts look so pretty! I am fascinated with the shards of caramel! I think they look really lovely scattered over the top of the tarts like glittering gems. And you managed to pull all of this off while juggling baby squirrel chores as well...you did great!

[barbara]

That is a very impressive tart. THe little ones are so cute.

[brilynn]

Glad you found time to participate, your tart looks lovely!