Daring to Please

Daring Bakers strikes again! When Veronica and Patricia announced that the challenge for August will be a Milk Chocolate Caramel Tart, I'm tingling with excitement! Tarts aren't exactly my forte to be frank with I hate doing tarts, just like pies, I find them too complicated and takes such a long time rolling out the chilled dough and all that work....I got excited with this recipe because as I read it I saw that its a shortbread kind not a Pate Sucre kind, so I didn't need to roll out that much dough!

I made this challenge in stages, first I made the dough, this recipe makes so much dough that even after making two tarts, I still have 1 disk of dough left over. Hmmmmm......maybe I'll turn it into cookies or something :) Anyhow, I blind baked it for 15 minutes and remove the rice(I use rice, instead of beans), and bake it for 5-10 minutes just until the dough changed color. Yeah I know that that step wasn't in the recipe however in past experiences I can't seem to get the bottom dough baked enough when I don't do this step.

The best part I think my favorite part of this challenge was making the caramel layer! I love making caramel the smell is utterly intoxicating! I never seize to amaze me how sugar melts and transforms into this golden liquid. I kept thinking, "Am I doing it right? It seems too liquid to form into layers later, well here goes" I pour the caramel mixture in the prebaked crust and baked it until its set which didn't take much time, around 15 to 20 minutes depending on the size of the pan.

As I was reading the steps for making the milk chocolate layer, I had this feeling that something would absolutely go wrong and IT SIS GO WRONG! Geez! My whipped cream was so cold that when I mixed it with my cooled melted milk chocolates, I got streaks of chocolate that simply refuses to blend in nicely, so I kept folding and fold and lo and behold I have an over mixed milk chocolate whipped cream! yuck! Its blotchy and can't be piped nicely and I almost gave up! I can't very well throw it out because I don't have any whipped cream left in the fridge, so I did the next best thing. Use it as it is and try to disguise it as much as possible!

I didn't do the caramel candy topping because I fear that the tart would be too sweet as it is. I brought out my Callebaut chocolate and use vegetable peeler and makes tiny shreds of chocolates, dusted it with powdered sugar and voila! the challenge is done! Get your cold glass of milk and let's have a go at it! Enjoy!

Conclusion: I will definitely make this recipe again, its easy and its fun, more importantly it taste good! Next time, I'll do it with Bittersweet Chocolates instead of Milk Chocolates.

Milk Chocolate and Caramel Tart
Daring Bakers Challenge #9: August 2007
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 minutesRefrigeration 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 sugar1/2 cup water1 tablespoon corn syrupSet 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.

nikcreate

I'm a nine to five pencil pusher who loves to play with flour and paper during my free time. Dreams of going to Europe and eat croissants and make pastries all day long!

36 comments:

  1. Well done! Looks fantastic! I love the idea of the grated chocolate on top. I wish I'd bothered to get a rectangle pan to make one. They look great!

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  2. The chocolate curls are a really inspired touch! Very cool.

    Also, I love the chocolate sorbet right beneath this post. Looks AMAZING.

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  3. Great job! The trick to the mousse is to have the chocolate cooled a bit and the whipped cream under whipped a bit so you add to much air as you fold the too and end up with a grainy texture. It looks perfect though!

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  4. What a great job. I wish I had a rectangular pan. They look amazing.

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  5. Love the chocolate curls on top! Looks absolutely amazing!

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  6. I like the caramel layer best, too, although I had trouble making it at first. Your great save with the chocolate shards and confectioners sugar makes it look like something from a pastry shop in Paris. Beautiful job!

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  7. I like your chocolate curl. Very elegant!

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  8. I'm so impressed that you made two! You're so ambitious.

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  9. Beautiful job. Love the curls on top.

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  10. Gosh! Look at you! What a wonderful job--and I love the way you decorated it!!!!

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  11. Curls on top are just the finishing touch! I love the rectangulare shape!

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  12. Your tart is lovely and the chocolate curls made it even more prettier :) Well done!

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  13. Beautiful cake! I cannot wait to make it again!

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  14. I love the chocolate curls! I wish I would have thought to cover up the top of my tart...

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  15. Anonymous12:51 AM

    You did a fantastic job! I'm glad you enjoyed the recipe!

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  16. Your tart is absolutely spectacular. And I love how your chocolate shavings turned out. I should have been more patient with mine.

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  17. Anonymous1:00 AM

    Well done!

    It's a beautiful tart!

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  18. I think you started great!
    The tart looks beautiful and delicious, I'm glad you liked making it!

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  19. What a great idea to put chocolate shavings on top! Your tart looks delicious! Great job.

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  20. I love the photo of the round and the rectangular tarts side by side. They look very professional, and so pretty. :-)

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  21. wow you're all so nice :) i'm so flattered :) thank you! definitely had a great time doing this

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  22. Wow your caramel got dark! Love all the callebaut chocolate on top.

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  23. Wow, your tarts look amazing!!!

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  24. Your tart looks absolutely beautiful. Love the chocolate shavings.

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  25. I love your grated chocolate on top! Nice work!

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  26. oh. my. god. those shaved chocolate topping looks divine! what a great idea!

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  27. I love the chocolate curls and powdered sugar dusting, makes it look really special.

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  28. Just a beautiful tart! I love those curls!

    An excellent job!

    xoxo

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  29. Beautiful cakes, love the chocolate decorations.

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  30. Oh how many of us want to try this with dark chocolate!
    I really enjoyed having those two shapes for this challenge.

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  31. The same thing happened to my mousse but it's the taste that counts! :) Love both your tarts, they look fantastic!

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  32. I love the rectangular shape of your tart. All those chocolate shavings are impressive. Your layers look great. I agree the aroma of caramel is "intoxicating." Wendy

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  33. Wow, very elegant looking! I love the idea for the rectangular tart, and the chocolate shavings just look gorgeous!

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  34. Well for someone who hates to make tarts yours sure are pretty! Great job on this month's challenge

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  35. Anonymous9:17 AM

    This looks soooooo good I'm gonna have to make it.

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