Recipe: Four-Layer Salted Chocolate Caramel Tart

Four-Layer Salted Chocolate Caramel Tart

SERVES 8 TO 20

Materials: You will need parchment paper or paper coffee filters, pie weights or rice, and a 13¾ x 4¼-inch rectangular tart pan with a removable bottom to make this.

FOR THE TART SHELL

2 cups plus 1 tablespoon unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
½ cup quality Dutch process (black) cocoa powder (such as Ghirardelli or another quality brand)
½ cup quality cocoa powder (preferably Valrhona or another quality brand; not Dutch process cocoa powder)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened at room temperature, plus more for buttering the tart pan
½ cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
½ cup packed dark brown sugar
2 extra-large egg yolks
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

FOR THE FUDGE COOKIE

1 ½ cups confectioners’ sugar
½ cup quality cocoa powder (preferably Valrhona or another quality brand; not Dutch process cocoa powder)
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 extra-large egg
1 extra-large egg white
2 ounces bittersweet chocolate (preferably 60% to 70% cacao), roughly chopped (about 1/3 cup)
1 ½ teaspoons cocoa nibs (about ¼ ounce)

FOR THE CARAMEL

1/3 cup light corn syrup
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter
¼ cup plus 3 tablespoons heavy cream, at room temperature
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons cocoa nibs
1 tablespoon kosher salt

DARK CHOCOLATE GANACHE

6 ounces bittersweet chocolate (preferably 60% to 70% cacao), roughly chopped (about 1 cup)
¾ cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
½ teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons quality cocoa powder (preferably Valrhona or another quality brand; not Dutch process cocoa powder)

To make the tart shell, pour the flour, Dutch process cocoa powder, cocoa powder, and salt into a fine-mesh strainer or sifter and sift the ingredients into a large bowl.

Combine the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and cream them together at medium-high speed until they’re light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Lower the mixer speed to medium, slowly add the egg yolks and vanilla, and mix until they are incorporated. Turn off the machine, add the dry ingredients, and mix at low speed until no flour is visible. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead it a few times to bring it together. Using your hands, shape the dough into a thick rectangle (about 9 x 5 inches) and wrap it in plastic. Refrigerate the dough for at least 2 hours or up to 3 days; or freeze the dough for up to 2 months and defrost it overnight in the refrigerator.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, butter the sides and bottom of a 13¾ x 4¼-inch tart pan, and place the pan on the baking sheet.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator and cut it into a few chunks. Dust a flat work surface with flour and knead each chunk until it is the texture of Play-Doh. Bring the dough together to form one ball and pat the ball into a 1-inch-thick disk. Roll the dough out to a 17 x 7-inch rectangle, 1/8 inch to ¼ inch thick, or large enough to line the bottom and sides of the tart pan. Fold the dough in half and carefully place it in the tart pan, centering it. Unfold the sheet of dough so the edges flop over the edges of the pan. Push the dough down to fit snugly inside the mold, lifting up the edges of the dough while pressing the dough into the crease on the inside perimeter of the pan. Dip the knuckle of your index finger in flour and press the dough into the crease with your knuckle to create straight rather than sloping sides. Don’t stretch the dough to fit or it will shrink during baking. Roll the rolling pin over the top of the tart pan to cut the dough. Pull off and discard the trimmed dough. Place the tart shell in the refrigerator to chill for at least 30 minutes or up to 1 day.

Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 325°F.

Remove the tart shell from the refrigerator. Line the shell with parchment paper or coffee filters and weigh it down with pie weights or rice. Put the baking sheet in the oven to bake the shell until the edges of the shell look dry, about 18 minutes. Remove the tart shell from the oven and carefully remove and discard the parchment paper or coffee filters; reserve the pie weights or rice to use (as pie weights only) another time. Return the tart shell to the oven and bake until it is fully cooked, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove the tart shell from the oven and set aside to cool to room temperature.

Increase the oven temperature to 350°F.

To make the fudge cookie, pour the confectioners’ sugar and cocoa powder into a fine-mesh strainer or sifter and sift them into a large bowl. Add the salt and stir to combine the ingredients. Make a well in the center. Add the egg and egg white to the well and whisk until the ingredients are combined. Add the chopped chocolate and cocoa nibs and use a rubber spatula to gently fold them into the batter. Pour the batter into the tart shell and use a small offset spatula to spread it evenly in the shell.

Bake the filled tart shell for about 25 minutes, until the fudge cookie cracks at the center, turning the tart halfway through the baking time so it bakes evenly. Remove the tart from the oven and cool to room temperature.

Meanwhile, to make the caramel, fasten a candy thermometer to the side of a medium deep saucepan (preferably one with a light-colored bottom). Put the corn syrup, granulated sugar, and 3½ tablespoons water in the saucepan and stir to combine. Cook the ingredients over high heat without stirring, tilting the pan so the sugar cooks evenly and brushing down the sides of the pan with a pastry brush dipped in water to remove the sugar crystals, until the caramel reaches 248°F. Add the butter and cream and stir to incorporate it, being careful because the caramel will splatter when you add the ingredients. Turn off the heat and stir in the cocoa nibs and salt. Set the caramel aside to cool slightly, but not so much that it is no longer a pourable consistency. Use the caramel or allow it to cool completely, then refrigerate, covered, for up to 3 days. Warm the caramel over low heat, stirring often, until it is a pourable consistency. Pour the caramel over the cooled fudge cookie layer of the tart. Put the tart in the refrigerator to cool the caramel completely, about 20 minutes.

To make the ganache, put the chocolate in a medium bowl. Heat the cream in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan over high heat until it begins to bubble around the edges. Pour the cream over the chocolate and allow the hot cream to sit, without touching it, until the chocolate is melted, about 3 minutes. Add the vanilla and salt and whisk, working your way from the center of the bowl outward, until the ingredients are combined and the ganache is smooth. Set aside to cool until the ganache is the consistency of cake frosting, about 20 minutes. (If the chocolate cools too much and is stiffer than frosting, place it over gently simmering water and whisk it to loosen the consistency. Then set it aside again until it sets to frosting consistency.)

Spoon the ganache on the tart and use the back of the spoon to spread it to cover the surface, making peaks and valleys in the ganache to give the tart a pretty, textured surface. Place the tart in the refrigerator until the ganache is set (it will lose its shiny quality), about 1 hour. You can make the tart up to 1 day in advance of serving it.

To serve, pour the cocoa powder into a fine-mesh strainer and tap the strainer over the tart to dust it lightly. Gently push the removable bottom to lift the tart out of the pan and, using a long offset spatula, gently slide the tart from the metal bottom onto a long platter or pretty wooden cutting board. Serve the tart with a cake spatula for guests to cut the size they want and serve themselves.