Salted Honey Fudge Chocolate Tart Food

THE MOST AMAZING SALTED DARK CHOCOLATE TART

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Stir together crust ingredients in a bowl until evenly combined. Press the crust mixture evenly into the bottom of a 9-inch tart pan (or pie dish). Bake for 12 minutes, or until it begins to feel dry and firm. Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool.
• Meanwhile, as the crust is baking, heat the coconut milk on the stovetop or in the microwave until simmering. Place the dark chocolate in a bowl, and pour the coconut milk evenly over the top of it. Wait 30 seconds, then slowly stir together until the chocolate is completely melted and smooth. Stir in the vanilla extract and salt until combined.
• Pour the chocolate filling into the baked crust, and smooth the top with a spoon until it is even. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or until firm.
• Serve chilled, sprinkled with flaky sea salt.

SALTED HONEY FUDGE & CHOCOLATE TART

Steps:

• Dice the pastry into chunks and put in a food processor. Sift over the cocoa, drizzle over the honey, then pulse to combine into a chocolate pastry (see tip box, below left). Roll out the dough on a lightly cocoa-dusted work surface, big enough to line a 23cm loose-bottomed tart tin with a little overhang. Cover and chill for 30 mins.
• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Scrunch up a big sheet of baking parchment and use to line the tart tin. Fill with baking beans and bake for 15-20 mins until sandy and the sides are firm. Remove the beans and paper, and bake for a further 5-15 mins until really biscuity. Trim off the overhang and cool.
• Put the honey fudge ingredients into a small pan and warm gently until the butter has completely melted. Bring to a gentle simmer and bubble, stirring, for 4-5 mins until more golden coloured and thickened. Stir in ¼-½ tsp good salt (to taste), then pour into the tart case. Chill for 30 mins.
• For the topping, mix the chocolate and cream in a heatproof bowl over a pan of barely simmering water. Gently melt, stirring occasionally, until combined. Cool for 5 mins, then pour into the tart case gently, covering the honey layer. Chill until ready to serve.
• Remove from the fridge 10 mins before serving, to soften a little. Dust with cocoa and scatter with a little crumbled honeycomb, if you like, then serve with dollops of crème fraîche or a jug of cream.

SALTED DARK CHOCOLATE TART

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine cookie crumbs and butter; press onto the bottom and up the sides of a greased 9-in. fluted tart pan with removable bottom. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes., For caramel, in a small saucepan over medium heat, combine sugar and water. Cook, shaking pan occasionally, until sugar is melted and mixture is almost clear (do not boil). , Increase heat to medium high; bring to a boil, without stirring. Cover and boil for 2 minutes while tightly holding lid of pan down. Uncover; shake pan. Cook 1-2 minutes longer or until mixture is amber, shaking pan several times., Remove from the heat; stir in cream (mixture will bubble) until smooth. Stir in butter (mixture will bubble) and salt until blended. Pour into crust; refrigerate for 15 minutes., Place chocolate in a large bowl. In a small saucepan, bring cream just to a boil. Pour over chocolate; whisk until smooth. Stir in vanilla. Let stand for 20 minutes. , Pour chocolate mixture over caramel. Sprinkle with sea salt. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours. Remove from the refrigerator about 45 minutes before serving.

SALTED CHOCOLATE TART

Steps:

• For the base, snap the biscuits into pieces and drop them into the bowl of a food processor. Do likewise with the chocolate, then blitz them together until you have crumbs. Add the butter and salt, and blitz again until the mixture starts to clump together. If you're doing this by hand, bash the biscuits in a freezer bag until they form crumbs, finely chop the chocolate and melt the butter, then mix everything, along with the salt, in a large bowl with a wooden spoon or your hands encased in disposable vinyl gloves.
• Press into your tart tin and pat down on the bottom and up the sides of the tin with your hands or the back of a spoon, so that the base and sides are evenly lined and smooth. Put into the fridge to harden for at least 1 hour, or 2 hours if your fridge is stacked. I wouldn't keep it for longer than a day like this as the crust tends to get too crumbly.
• For the filling, finely chop the chocolate. Put the cornflour into a cup and whisk in the milk until smooth. (I find it easier to use cups for the liquids - in which case the milk measure is equivalent to an American quarter cup, and you'll need 2 cups of cream.)
• Pour the cream into a heavy-based saucepan into which all the ingredients can fit and be stirred without splashing out of the pan, then add the finely chopped rubble of chocolate, the sieved cocoa (or just sieve it straight in), espresso or instant coffee powder, sugar, vanilla paste or extract, olive oil and smoked salt. Place over a medium to low heat and whisk gently - I use a very small whisk for this, as I'm not aiming to get air in the mixture, I'm just trying to banish any lumpiness - as the cream heats and the chocolate starts melting.
• Off the heat, whisk in the cornflour and milk mixture until it, too, is smoothly incorporated, and put the pan back on a low heat. With a wooden spoon, keep stirring until the mixture thickens, which it will do around the 10-minute mark, but be prepared for it to take a few minutes more or less. Take the pan off the heat every so often, still stirring, so that everything melds together, without the cream coming to a boil. When ready, it should be thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon, and if you run your finger through it (across the back of the spoon) the line should stay.
• Pour into a wide measuring jug or batter jug (it should come to about the 600ml/1 pint mark). Now run a piece of baking parchment or greaseproof paper under the cold tap, wring it out and place the damp, crumpled piece right on top of the chocolate mixture, then put the jug into the fridge for 15 minutes. The mixture will still be warm, but will be the right temperature to ooze into the base without melting it.
• Pour and scrape the mixture into the biscuit-lined flan tin and put back in the fridge overnight. Don't leave it longer than 24 hours, as the base will start to soften.
• Take out of the fridge for 10 minutes before serving, but unmould straight away. Sit the flan tin on top of a large tin or jar and let the ring part fall away, then transfer the dramatically revealed tart to a plate or board. Leave the tin base on.
• Slice modestly - this is rich and sweet, and people can always come back for more - and serve with crème fraîche; the sharpness is just right here. Leftovers will keep in the fridge for 4-5 days, but the base will soften and the sides crumble a bit. That will not detract from your eating pleasure too much, but I still like to give it its first outing at optimal stage!

CHOCOLATE-HONEY TART

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray 9-inch diameter tart pan with removable bottom with nonstick spray. Grind graham crackers with 3 tablespoons butter and honey in processor until fine crumbs form. Press crumbs evenly onto bottom (not up sides) of prepared tart pan. Bake until set, about 10 minutes. Cool.
• Bring cream and lavender just to boil in small saucepan. Reduce heat to low and simmer 5 minutes. Place chocolate in medium saucepan. Strain hot cream mixture into saucepan with chocolate. Stir over medium-low heat just until melted and smooth. Add cocoa powder and remaining 1 tablespoon butter; stir until melted and smooth. Pour chocolate mixture over crust in tart pan. Chill at least 45 minutes (chocolate will be slightly soft after 45 minutes and firm after 2 hours). Cut into wedges and serve. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and keep chilled. Let stand at room temperature 1 hour before serving.
• Also called culinary lavender buds; available at many natural foods stores and some farmers' markets and from Dean and Deluca