i am a self proclaimed food magazine junky. i love them. i subscribe to four different titles and pick others up at the grocery store if their covers draw me in. this week it was saveur. the cover had me at “the ultimate chocolate caramel tart”.

unfortunately for me, i had to make this tart twice because the recipe had so many flaws. the caramel temperature was printed as 365 degrees, which is essentially burnt, and the crust had some silly ratios that were completely useless. this is where your good fortune comes in. i rewrote the recipe and the tart is deliciously sinful. i hope you’ll try it my way and forgo the wasted ingredients and the smell of burnt caramel.

chocolate caramel salted tart
serves 8

for the crust:
1 cup flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick unsalted butter, cubed and softened
2 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla

preheat oven to 350 degrees.
in a food processor, pulse together the flour, cocoa powder and salt until blended. add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles crumbs the size of peas. add the egg yolks and vanilla and pulse just until the dough is well mixed.
transfer dough to a 9″ spring form pan or a fluted tart pan (i did mine in a spring form pan). with your fingers, press dough evenly into the bottom and sides of the pan. refrigerate for 30 minutes. prick the bottom of the tart shell all over with a fork (this is called docking) and bake for 20 minutes. let cool on a rack.

for the caramel:
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons water
1 stick of butter, cubed
5 tablespoons heavy cream

in a saucepan, whisk together the sugar, corn syrup, salt and water. bring to a boil over medium heat, without stirring, until the liquid turns a light amber. this takes about 10 minutes. (you can use a candy thermometer, but you really don’t need to, just stay close to your pot because caramel happens fast) take the pan off the heat and whisk in the butter and cream until well blended (the mixture will bubble up slightly). pour the caramel into the cooled tart shell and let cool down to room temperature. refrigerate until set, about 3 hours. ( at this stage, you can leave the tart in the refrigerator over night and make the ganache in the morning)

for the ganache:
1/2 cup heavy cream
4 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped

bring cream to a boil. in a mixing bowl, pour the hot cream over the chopped chocolate. let sit for a couple of minutes until the chocolate is melted. stir with a spatula until smooth. pour the ganache evenly over the tart and refrigerate until set, about 3 hours. sprinkle with sea salt and serve chilled.

this tart is well worth the many steps it takes to make. if you’ve never made caramel before, this dessert is a great excuse to give it a try. new skills can be so tasty!