Chocolate Caramel Pecan Tart


Now as I might have mentioned before, chocolate is pretty much a staple in this household. The Monkeys quite happily eat squares of 72% cocoa dark bitter chocolate, while I don’t think this is normal taste bud behaviour for little people. I don’t have a problem with it in small quantities, ( I would rather they had a square of that than a packet of smarties.) It’s good stuff! However they will not be trying espresso coffee and red wine any time soon, as with those taste buds they are sure to like it.

Now after my little kitchen crisis. After I had sat on the floor with a teatowel over my head, with thoughts of “this is the end of my cooking FOREVER!” I had a little pause, got back to basics, caught my breath and then made this little baby. It’s a little bit pastry, it’s a little bit caramel, it’s a little bit nutty and it certainly is quite a bit chocolatey.

…and did The Monkeys like it?

Of course they did…Mr Chocolate had to wrestle the last piece from their sticky little paws.

Chocolate Caramel Pecan Tart

pastry

150gms softened butter

1/2 cup icing sugar

1 2/3 cup plain flour

1 tps vanilla

2 tbs water

Add dry ingredients and butter. Either use processor or by hand until resembles bread crumbs. Add vanilla and water. Knead on lightly floured surface, until mixed well. Wrap dough and place in freezer for ten minutes. Roll out to desired shape, (I did individual tarts) and bake blind in greased tart tins. 180C until lightly golden. Allow to cool.

caramel

1 cup condensed milk

1 knob of butter

2 tbs muscavado sugar (or other dark unrefined sugar)

Pop them in a pot and stir over medium heat, until it turns to caramel. Don’t let it get to thick as it will be harder to manage. Add layer of caramel to cooled tart dish.(Option- you could add toasted pecans within the caramel.)

ganache

150mls cream

150gms dark chocolate

Bring the cream to a boil and then turn off heat. Drop broken chocolate into the cream and stir until melted through. While ganache is still runny, pour over caramel tart. Place in fridge and allow to set.

toppping

toasted roughly chopped pecans

*** I obviously used pecans here, but I do think they would taste just as well with any other nuts you may have on hand. Hazelnuts were my first choice, but as the only ones I could find were from Europe and I had pecans grown locally…it had to be pecans.

24 thoughts on “Chocolate Caramel Pecan Tart

  1. You are a very gracious mommy- I would NOT share those with anyone under the age of 18 and then only if they agreed to wash the dishes afterward.
    I MIGHT share them with my husband, but then again…
    I better not make them. We’ve been together 35 years now and I’d hate to divorce over chocolate rights. ๐Ÿ˜‰

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  2. Brydie, what have you done to me. I’m hanging out for a really good cuppa coffee & thinking of wandering up to the shops for a leisurely Sunday coffee & now you know what I absolutely must have now with it don’t you. Bet they are not anywhere as nice as these caramel, chokky pecan yummies though, they look great.

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  3. Ooh tart! How did I miss this one! I love choccolate caramel it’s one of my favourites, pecans are a luxury nut here, much more expensive than hazelnuts and therefore quite special – I want to pluck that one right off the screen ๐Ÿ™‚

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