This tart is truly a sweet-tooth's dream. Not only does it contain three chocolate elements -- chocolate pastry, chocolate cream filling and dark chocolate ganache topping -- it is also loaded with delectably caramely praline. Adding the praline to the chocolate cream filling results in the caramel from the praline going nice and oozy in places. Sublime!
I first made this little number for a competition at work -- which I very proudly won. It was devoured in about five minutes flat. It's debut was on Mothers' day. My little tart travelled with me from Canberra to Brisbane, making it all the way through airport security without a problem. It was a treat I just had to share with my family. When your mum asks you for the recipe, you know you've done a good job!
Triple chocolate praline tart
Adapted from Gourmet Traveller
Serves 12
Chocolate pastry
200 gr gluten free plain flour (I use White Wings)
60 gr pure icing sugar
30 gr dutch press cocoa
100 gr cold butter
2 eggs (I use free range eggs with a minimum weight of 55gm)
Milk chocolate praline filling
Praline
150 gr hazelnuts, roasted and skinned
175 gr caster sugar
100 ml water
Chocolate cream filling
300 ml cream
400 gr milk chocolate
Ganache
80ml cream
20ml milk
100gm dark chocolate
Step 1: Prepare pastry
Process flour, icing mixture and cocoa in a food processor until combined. Add butter and eggs. Process until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Turn onto a lightly floured work surface (or silicon mat) and knead pastry until comes together.
Note: if your pastry is not coming together because it is too dry add water, a table spoon at a time, and combine after each addition until it does.
Wrap the pastry in cling wrap and refrigerate for 30 mins to rest.
Step 2: Prepare praline
Preheat oven to 180 C (160 C if you are using a fan forced oven). Spread hazelnuts on a baking tray and roast for 5 – 10 minutes, or until golden.
To skin the hazelnuts, place half of the roasted nuts in a clean tea towel and rub the nuts between the tea towel until the skins come away. Repeat this with the remaining nuts. Put all the nuts on a sheet of non-stick baking paper on a tray.
Place sugar and water in a saucepan over low heat and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until the sugar dissolves. Increase heat to high and bring to the boil. Boil, without stirring, swirling or brushing down the side of the pan with a pastry brush dipped in water, for 8 minutes or until golden. Set aside until the bubbles subside.
Pour the caramel mixture over the nuts and leave to set.
When the praline is set, put it in a food processor or crush it until finely ground. Set aside.
Step 3: Tart case
Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface so that it is about 3mm thick. Grease a 28cm diameter loose-bottomed tart tin and fit the pastry into the tin, pushing it into all of the fluted edges. Refrigerate for 20 minutes to prevent the case from shrinking during baking.
Put a sheet of baking paper inside the tart case and fill with rice, dried beans or ceramic weights. Blind bake the case for 10 minutes at 180 C (or 160 C if you are using a fan forced oven). Remove the rice and paper or weights and bake for another 10 minutes, or until crisp.
While the tart case is baking, make the chocolate filling.
Step 4: Preparing the chocolate and hazelnut praline filling
Scald the cream in a small saucepan over a medium heat (do not let the cream come to the boil). Remove the cream from the heat. Add the chocolate and stir until smooth. Stir in ¾ of the praline mixture (reserve remaining to serve/ decorate). Spoon the filling into the tart, smooth over and refrigerate until set (2-3 hours or overnight).
Step 5: Chocolate ganache
Combine cream and milk in a small saucepan scald over a medium heat (do not let it boil). Add the dark chocolate, remove from heat, and stir until smooth. Let the mixture cool for 10 – 15 minutes, stirring every few minutes so it does not set.
When the ganache has cooled, spread it over the tart, smoothing the top. Refrigerate the tart until the ganache is set (45 minutes – 1 hour).
Step 6: Decorating
Sprinkle the remaining praline around the outside edge of the tart to decorate.
Adapted from Gourmet Traveller
Serves 12
Chocolate pastry
200 gr gluten free plain flour (I use White Wings)
60 gr pure icing sugar
30 gr dutch press cocoa
100 gr cold butter
2 eggs (I use free range eggs with a minimum weight of 55gm)
Milk chocolate praline filling
Praline
150 gr hazelnuts, roasted and skinned
175 gr caster sugar
100 ml water
Chocolate cream filling
300 ml cream
400 gr milk chocolate
Ganache
80ml cream
20ml milk
100gm dark chocolate
Step 1: Prepare pastry
Process flour, icing mixture and cocoa in a food processor until combined. Add butter and eggs. Process until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Turn onto a lightly floured work surface (or silicon mat) and knead pastry until comes together.
Note: if your pastry is not coming together because it is too dry add water, a table spoon at a time, and combine after each addition until it does.
Wrap the pastry in cling wrap and refrigerate for 30 mins to rest.
Step 2: Prepare praline
Preheat oven to 180 C (160 C if you are using a fan forced oven). Spread hazelnuts on a baking tray and roast for 5 – 10 minutes, or until golden.
To skin the hazelnuts, place half of the roasted nuts in a clean tea towel and rub the nuts between the tea towel until the skins come away. Repeat this with the remaining nuts. Put all the nuts on a sheet of non-stick baking paper on a tray.
Place sugar and water in a saucepan over low heat and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until the sugar dissolves. Increase heat to high and bring to the boil. Boil, without stirring, swirling or brushing down the side of the pan with a pastry brush dipped in water, for 8 minutes or until golden. Set aside until the bubbles subside.
Pour the caramel mixture over the nuts and leave to set.
When the praline is set, put it in a food processor or crush it until finely ground. Set aside.
Step 3: Tart case
Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface so that it is about 3mm thick. Grease a 28cm diameter loose-bottomed tart tin and fit the pastry into the tin, pushing it into all of the fluted edges. Refrigerate for 20 minutes to prevent the case from shrinking during baking.
Put a sheet of baking paper inside the tart case and fill with rice, dried beans or ceramic weights. Blind bake the case for 10 minutes at 180 C (or 160 C if you are using a fan forced oven). Remove the rice and paper or weights and bake for another 10 minutes, or until crisp.
While the tart case is baking, make the chocolate filling.
Step 4: Preparing the chocolate and hazelnut praline filling
Scald the cream in a small saucepan over a medium heat (do not let the cream come to the boil). Remove the cream from the heat. Add the chocolate and stir until smooth. Stir in ¾ of the praline mixture (reserve remaining to serve/ decorate). Spoon the filling into the tart, smooth over and refrigerate until set (2-3 hours or overnight).
Step 5: Chocolate ganache
Combine cream and milk in a small saucepan scald over a medium heat (do not let it boil). Add the dark chocolate, remove from heat, and stir until smooth. Let the mixture cool for 10 – 15 minutes, stirring every few minutes so it does not set.
When the ganache has cooled, spread it over the tart, smoothing the top. Refrigerate the tart until the ganache is set (45 minutes – 1 hour).
Step 6: Decorating
Sprinkle the remaining praline around the outside edge of the tart to decorate.
