Salted Chocolate Pecan Butter Food

SALTED CARAMEL PECAN BITES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Bake the pecans in a single layer in a shallow pan 10 to 12 minutes or until toasted and fragrant, stirring halfway through.
• Line a 15-by-10-inch jelly-roll pan or a 9.5-by-13-inch casserole dish with aluminum foil; lightly grease the foil with baking spray. Arrange the graham crackers in a single layer in the prepared pan, slightly overlapping the edges.
• Combine the sugar, butter and cream in a medium-size heavy saucepan; bring to a boil over medium heat and stir in the vanilla and pecans. Pour the butter mixture over the crackers, spreading to coat.
• Bake for 10 to 11 minutes or until lightly browned and bubbly. Immediately sprinkle with the salt, lift the foil from the pan and slide the bark off the foil onto a wire rack. Cool completely, 30 minutes to an hour. Break into bite-size pieces.

SEA-SALTED CHOCOLATE & PECAN TART

Steps:

• To make the pastry, cream the butter and sugar with a wooden spoon or in an electric mixer until light and creamy. Add the egg yolks and 35ml water and mix well until all the liquid has been incorporated. Gradually mix in the flour and cocoa powder until a paste is formed. It will be quite a soft dough.
• Wrap the pastry in foil, flatten it with your hand and chill for 1 hr. The pastry can be made two days ahead, though in this case, you may want to remove it from the fridge for a few minutes before rolling to soften it.
• Sprinkle your work surface with a light dusting of flour and roll out the pastry until it's about 5mm thick. Line a 23cm tart tin with the pastry using the rolling pin to help you lift it over, pushing the pastry well into the edges and folding the excess over the top. Trim off the excess. Chill for 15 mins to relax the pastry and to help prevent it from shrinking during cooking.
• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Line the tart with a sheet of baking parchment (scrunch it up first to soften it), then tip in baking beans, rice or lentils and bake blind for 15 mins. Lift out the beans and bake for a further 10-12 mins until the base is dry. Allow to cool.
• To make the filling, put all the ingredients in a glass or metal mixing bowl, place it over a pan of very hot water and allow them to melt together until glossy and thick. Pour into the cooled pastry case and chill for 4 hrs or overnight.
• For the topping, heat the sugar in a saucepan on a medium heat, tilt the pan rather than stirring, until you have an even golden liquid caramel. Add the salt and mix well with a wooden spoon or heatproof spatula. Pour in the pecans and, mixing thoroughly, quickly pour the mixture on to a piece of baking parchment and spread out with the back of the spoon. Allow to cool thoroughly, then break or chop up into shards or chunky pieces to sprinkle over the ganache.
• Cut the tart with a hot, wet knife for perfect, restaurant-quality slices. Recipe adapted from Adventures with Chocolate by Paul A Young (£14.99, Kyle Books). Photographs © Anders Schønnemann.

SALTED CHOCOLATE & HAZELNUT BROWNIES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/ gas 4. Butter and line the base and sides of a 20cm square tin. Put the butter, chocolate and chocolate spread in a heatproof bowl and melt over a pan of lightly simmering water. Once melted, stir and set aside to cool a little.
• In another bowl, use an electric whisk to beat the eggs and sugar together for 5 mins until light and fluffy. Pour in the chocolate mixture and whisk briefly to combine. Sift in the flour and gently fold through the mixture, then add most of the pecans. Scrape the mixture into the tin and spread out with a spatula. Scatter over the last of the pecans and a good sprinkling of sea salt.
• Bake for 30-35 mins until set but a little gooey in the middle. Cool, then cut into squares and serve with ice cream and caramel sauce.