A ginger infused dark chocolate salted caramel tart – rich, indulgent and a little spicy. This is definitely one to make for a dinner party or supper club for a deliciously good finish. The ginger gives it a nice fiery kick!
Not a traditionally tropical dessert but with ginger and chocolate in the mix it evokes sunny, hot climates where these ingredients grow in abundance.
I adapted a lovely salted caramel tart recipe by Brit British Diana Henry and infused the chocolate with a ginger cream.
This tart is really good. Serve with some creme fraiche on the side and a dusting of salted peanuts. Enjoy!
Serves 8
Prep 15 mins
Cook 30 mins + 1 hour chilling time
Total 125 mins
Ingredients
For the chocolate pastry
300g plain flour, sifted
3 tbsp cocoa powder
150g butter, cold and cubed
3 tbsp caster sugar
1 egg yolk
4 tbsp ice cold water
For the salted caramel
250g white caster sugar
2 – 3 tbsp water
100ml double cream
125g butter, melted
1/2 tsp sea salt flakes
For the chocolate filling
125g dark chocolate (at least 70%)
85g butter
1 egg and 1 yolk
3 tbsp caster sugar
100ml double cream
5 balls of stem ginger, pureed or finely chopped
Method
First make the pastry, sift flour and cocoa powder in a large bowl and mix in the sugar. Add butter and rub together with your fingers until it resembles breadcrumbs (alternatively put in a food processor). Add the egg yolk and cold water. Mix together until the mixture comes together in a ball (add more water if it is dry).
Pat down to make a rounded disc shape. Wrap the dough in clingfilm and put in the fridge for 1 hour to chill.
Preheat the oven to 200C / gas mark 6 /400F. Bring the dough out and roll on a lightly floured surface to the thickness of a 1 pound coin.
Put the pastry over your tart tin (23cm tart tin with a loose base) and gently push down making sure to get the pastry into the corners of the tin. Cut any excess pastry off the top of the tart tin with a sharp knife.
Using a fork prick the base of the pastry. Line with greaseproof paper and fill with baking beans or uncooked rice. Blind bake for 12 minutes, remove the beans and paper and then set aside to cool. Turn the oven down to 180C / gas mark 4 / 350F.
For the caramel, put the caster sugar in a large frying pan over a medium heat with water. Swirl the pan round to ensure the water covers all the dry bits of sugar (do not stir the sugar).
The sugar should start to deepen in colour fairly quickly (keep a very close eye so it doesn’t burn).
Once it’s a light amber colour take it off the heat and stir in the butter until it’s melted, followed by the double cream and salt. Once the caramel is smooth and glossy leave it aside to cool then pour the caramel into the pastry case.
For the filling, break up the chocolate into pieces and melt with the butter in a bowl above simmering water. Leave to one side once completely melted.
Whisk the sugar and eggs until pale and fluffy and then stir into the melted chocolate.
In a small pan over a medium heat, bring the double cream and stem ginger to a boil. Pour the ginger cream over the melted chocolate and mix together well.
Pour over the caramel and put in the oven for a further 12 minutes to bake. Once cooled push out of the tart tin, slice, sprinkle over crushed salted peanuts and serve with creme fraiche.
Would try this out this Christmas on the dessert menu👍