Daring Bakers: Milk Chocolate & Caramel Tart

I found this challenge to be just that: challenging.  While I have an extensive background in baking cakes, tarts I'm not as familiar with so this was fun in a slightly stressful way, let me put it that way. I've never before made my own mousse or caramel. I've always wanted to do both but yesterday was a first for both. I learned a lot, mostly from my mistakes. But that's the whole point of being in the Daring Bakers group. I wanted the challenge of exploring new baking territory.

For a list of all the challengers, click on Daring Bakers for links.

Not to continue complaining about my knees but I'm going to anyway. Still having problems with them. Still miserable at work (from my knees only) and had a doc appt yesterday about them.  We're going to try a new painkiller that's non-narcotic, thank God, and maybe some joint fluid therapy.

In the meantime, I admit, even though cooking is still relaxing for me, I have to be careful on my days off not to spend too much time standing or it makes it worse for work.  This little project was four hours in the kitchen!  I'd put off making the tart until right at deadline time so there was no doing one little thing a day crap. It was a straight on onslaught with putting things that needed cooling into the freezer and cutting out all the middle man of time I could.

Let me walk you through my experience with this little recipe.  For one, the first thing it says is that the shortbread pastry will make three tarts. Well, I didn't need bulk, I needed ONE.  But instead of dividing everything by three, since dividing two eggs into three parts, gets dicey, I divided everything in half and went from there. I think I ended up with a little too thick of shortbread crust but it's good and we'll survive the trauma of having a thicker crust, you know?

I did make two alterations to the recipe. We're supposed to run the recipe as is but I had a couple of problems. For one, this really was a hit and run this time so it was one trip to one grocery store and one afternoon. So when I couldn't fine the hazelnuts on my pass through the grocery store, I chose to read "hazelnuts" as "almonds".  And I left the cinnamon out of the crust completely.  My husband, Gene, hates cinnamon and since I'm counting on him to eat a goodly portion of this thing, it made no sense to alienate my audience from the beginning.

The shortbread crust went well, easily came together and was baked. I did not roll it out; I patted it becasue that's how I'm used to putting these types of crusts together. It was later that I realized it was probably supposed to be rolled out.

Next came the caramel custard filling.  This is how the dry sugar looked as it first began melting.

You know, I always learn better from my mistakes than from my success and I learned quite a bit yesterday. For one, don't use a spatula to melt sugar and make caramel. The heat is simply too high. The flat edged wooden spoon was perfect.

I also learned that while taking photos is good for the blog, the time I'm not attending to my sugar makes for lumps that have to be strained out of the custard at the end.

But the flavor was excellent and it worked out fine in the end.  The baking of it was my one big trip up in the recipe, though. I put the crust and caramel custard in the oven and baked it for the specified 15 minutes but when I took it out the filling was running and the eggs not set. I checked it with a thermometer and the filling was barely 100 degrees. Eggs set completely at 140.  I can live with 120-130 and feel comfortable that the heat will finish cooking the custard once I take it out of the oven, but barely 100 degrees made me nervous because of the eggs and I left it in another 10 minutes to set.

While that was cooling, I made the chocolate mousse which I've never done before. I'll be looking that one up and studying the techniques better because when I tried to fold my melted chocolate into the whipped cream I ended up with lots of little hardened chocolate bits. It tasted fine but I didn't like the look. It wasn't smooth at all.

And then the final fiasco was the caramel for the top.  I did follow the directions and came out with okay caramel but even with trying two different designs, I could get neither to come off the wax paper. It all just shattered into little bits of hard crack caramel candy so I ditched it completely.

I thought the caramel shell formed over the bowl would look cool and I could easily get it all off the bowl in one piece but I couldn't get the caramel off the wax paper. I'll have to research that some more too.  At the time, though, I was tired and was seriously running low on patience so all of that hit the trash can,  I simply added some mousse borders for decoration.

The final product was fine. No offense to the folks who picked out the recipe but I doubt that I'll ever make it again. Gene said he liked it and he has eaten two pieces but with his heart disease and the amount of cream in this I'm not going to allow him much more.  So that's fine.  For me, personally, I'm not a huge chocolate fan, as in rarely eat chocolate, but I do like caramel. However, even though the tart had caramel in them middle,  I was disappointed that the chocolate flavor overwhelmed the caramel for me.  I did consider making the recipe again only using white chocolate for the mousse and leaving the cocoa out of cookie base. That, with a big drizzle of caramel sauce on top might make the whole thing more interesting to me.  But that's just personal preference.  It was a nice challenge and I'm glad I completed it.

Milk Chocolate and Caramel Tart

Chocolate Shortbread Pastry
Note: The Chocolate Shortbread pastry can make 3 tart shells. So, if you want to cut that recipe into thirds then do so but Veron and Patricia are not promising it will scale down properly.

Preparation time: 10 minutes
Refrigeration: overnight
To make 3 tart shells: 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.

Milk Chocolate and Caramel Tart

Preparation time: 40 minutes
Baking Time: 30 minutes
Refrigeration time: 1 hour

Ingredients:

• ½ lb (250 g) chocolate shortbread pastry (see recipe above)
• 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.

Alternate Caramel Method:

If you have problems with the dry method, you may use this method.

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon corn syrup

Set mixture in a pot over medium-high heat and stir slowly. When the mixture comes to a boil, stop stirring and leave it alone. Wait till desired color is attained .

Proceed with the rest of the recipe.


Caramel Fragments:

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.

Comments

[Ivonne]

I love the way you decorated it! Hope your knees are feeling better!

[veron]

Your tart looks lovely and I adore the decoration! I'm thinking of making this recipe again too but with a few changes in the mousse layer and the crust.

[Deborah]

You had the same problem as I did with the mousse! But yours still turned out A LOT prettier than mine!

[Anne]

Still a very pretty tart! I admire you for taking the time out in completing the challenge eventhough you weren't well. Truly, you are a daring baker :)

[Butta Buns]

Wowee! I like the decoration too, it looks just like it should: decadent. Hope your knees get some rest, it's been a busy blog week for you too, with the breakfast post (which I can't do due to a 60 hour work week :-( .

[Anita]

I like how you decorated the tart, very lovely!

[Leslie]

My mousse turned out exactly the same as yours! Not quite sure what I did wrong there. For the caramel, I have good luck getting it to come off of parchment paper...I'm always a little icked out by the idea of putting hot things on waxed paper as I have it in the back of my mind that the wax is melting into the food. I love how you decorated!

[sher]

Oh boy! It looks beautiful!!!! My knees hurt yesterday after standing on my tile floor for so long making this. I gave the whole tart, minues one slice, to nancy to take home to her family. I liked the tart and didn't need it around to tempt me!!! I found that making the caramel was frustrating, but it turned out great. I remember Julia Child saying you should'nt stir this kind ever--just swirl the pan. So, that's what I did. But, I hated making it.

[Patricia Scarpin]

Glenna, thank you for participating in this challenge, even with your knee problems.
It looks wonderful and I'm sure it tasted delicious, too!

[Amanda @ Little Foodies]

I love the piped chocolate mousse! Your caramel is so much lighter than mine. I think I may have really overdone cooking the sugar. Great! Hope you have more luck with the other pain relief.

[Sara]

Looks lovely! One piece was more than enough for me.

[Meeta]

you manged with the little hurdle fantastically. Glenna, it looks lovely the decoration is awesome!

[Dolores]

Wow... I love how everyone's tart looks so very visually different this month. And I think you did a splendid job reworking your decorations!

[brilynn]

I've tried doing that caramel over the bowl thing and failed in the past. Your caramel layer looks so good!

[Elle]

Hope your knees are feeling better.
This is one beautiful tart! Love the decorations that did work out :) Your caramel layer looks firmer than some and totally delicious.

[Andrea]

The mini chocolate chips on top are very cute, a good idea for decorating! I thought about the sugar over the bowl thing too, but didn't do it. Probably a good thing as I wasn't having much luck getting the sugar to work in the first place. Good for you for persevering.

[candy]

you're more of a woman than i am! when i see recipes with this many parts, steps, ingredients... i'll admit i pass them by. i guess i'm not a "daring baker". my mom is though. she'll take on involved projects like this for fun. i wish i'd inherited a little more of that. i am getting into baking bread now so maybe someday :)

[Belinda]

It looks so pretty the way you have it decorated...and your cake decorating experience comes through in the little rosettes of mousse. :-) I would be very happy with a slice and a nice cup of tea!

[Aoife]

I like the exposed sides and how you can see the beautiful strata! Your caramel decorations look like they would have been pretty. My guess is that they melted the wax to make them stick, but it might work if you have access to parchment paper or a silpat.

[Jenny]

I had to strain my caramel too, and it was fine. Lovely work!

[Tartelette]

You did great despite all the little issues along the way! For sugar bowls and such: slightly oil the paper or bowl (I use paper napkins dipped in oil), the cage or other decorations will slide right out.

[Dharm]

Your tart looks great. Good luck with the knees getting better. Pity you didnt enjoy eating the tart though but well done on your effort!

[Mary]

Every challenge is learning experience for me too. That's why I love being a DB. I had to bake my caramel longer too. I didn't know that eggs set at 140. Thanks for that tip.

[fanny]

Hi Mary,
I love that your tart is so 'thick'. Looks like Pierre Hermé's tarts (check the coffee one - same shape as yours)!

Love xxx
- fanny

[Glenna]

Thank you, everyone, for your kind comments and well wishes about my knee. Amazingly, I got up this morning after a good night's sleep and my knee hardly hurts at all which is so weird. Last night at work I thought I was going to puke it hurt so bad but today it only aches. I've never been so happy to say the words: "ONLY aches"!

[Inne]

Lovely decoration Glenna! Shame you didn't like it that much, but it looks great nonetheless. Glad I'm not the only one who 'forgot' to put cinnamon in the crust.

[peabody]

A lovely job with your tart. Sorry it wasn't up your alley.

[Jenny]

Lovely work Glenna! So glad you persisted, despite the pain, and we get to see the results of such perseverance!

[Jen the bread freak]

For all the troubles you had with the recipe, your tart looks great! The mousse recipe for this challenge was not a traditional mousse and it's always a bit tricky when folding a melted chocolate into a chilled whipped cream. Your decorations are wonderful :D

[Chris]

I like the way your tart is set up....looks cool.

[Cynthia]

I was beginning to feel lonely about not being a big chocolate fan :)

[Amy]

Sorry to hear about the sugar but the mousse border looks great! Your tart looks scrumptious!

[Wendy]

Your overall tart and mousse decoration looks fabulous. I used a silpat for my caramel decorations without any issues--I didn't make a bowl either. You are dedicated baker sore knees and all. Wendy

[Glenna]

Thanks so much for all of your kind remarks! And yes, Cynthia, you are not alone. I don't hate chocolate but it's never my first choice on the dessert cart. Makes me feel un-girly or something. :-)

[Tanna]

You what? in the trash!! No way Glenna! Caramel is caramel, pretty, ugly it just tastes good!
The tart looks terrific even with specks in the mousse. I baked my tart about 8 minutes longer but it's really helpful to know the 140° rule.
I do hope you get some relief for the knees.

[Glenna]

Tanna--Actually, good to know I wasn't the only one who baked it longer. The eggs just scared me a little, you know? Although I guess that makes no sense when you consider that I also love to eat over easy eggs...

[Nags]

looks so so so yummy!!

[Glenna]

Thanks, Nags.

[breadchick]

Great step by step photos! Your tart turned out lovely!! Hope your knees feel better soon.

[Glenna]

Thank you, bread chick!

[Isabel Manrara Diaz]

I make alot of chocolate mousse and you must let the chocolate cool before you add to the whipped cream. I am sure it was delicious anyhow.