Salted Chocolate Tartlets Recipes

SALTED CHOCOLATE TART

Steps:

• For the base: Snap the oreos into pieces and drop them into the bowl of a food processor. Do likewise with the chocolate, then blitz them together until you have crumbs. Add the butter and salt, and blitz again until the mixture starts to clump together. If you're doing this by hand, bash the cookies in a freezer bag until they form crumbs, finely chop the chocolate and melt the butter, then mix everything, along with the salt, in a large bowl with a wooden spoon or your hands encased in disposable gloves.
• Press the mixture into a 23-centimeter/10-inch deep-sided, loose-bottomed flan or tart pan. Pat down on the bottom and up the sides of the pan with your hands or the back of a spoon, so that the base and sides are evenly lined and smooth. Put into the fridge to chill and harden for at least 1 hour, or 2 hours if your fridge is stacked. I wouldn't keep it for longer than a day like this as the Oreo crust tends to get too crumbly.
• For the filling: Finely chop the chocolate. Put the corn starch into a cup and whisk in the milk until smooth. Pour the cream into a heavy-based saucepan into which all the ingredients can fit and be stirred without splashing out of the pan, then add the finely chopped rubble of chocolate, the sieved cocoa (or just sieve it straight in), espresso or instant coffee powder, sugar, vanilla paste or extract, olive oil and smoked salt. Place over a medium to low heat and whisk gently--I use a very small whisk for this, as I'm not aiming to get air in the mixture, I'm just trying to banish any lumpiness--as the cream heats and the chocolate starts melting.
• Off the heat, whisk in the corn starch and milk mixture until it, too, is smoothly incorporated, and put the pan back on a low heat. With a wooden spoon, keep stirring until the mixture thickens, which it will do around the 10-minute mark, but be prepared for it to take a few minutes more or less. Take the pan off the heat every so often, still stirring, so that everything melds together, without the cream coming to a boil. When ready, it should be thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon, and if you run your finger through it (across the back of the spoon) the line should stay.
• Pour the mixture into a wide measuring jug or batter jug (it should come to about the 600 milliliter/2 1/2 cup mark). Now run a piece of baking parchment or greaseproof paper under cold water, wring it out and place the damp, crumpled piece right on top of the chocolate mixture, then put the jug into the fridge for 15 minutes. The mixture will still be warm, but will be the right temperature to ooze into the base without melting it.
• Pour and scrape the mixture into the cookie-lined tart pan and put it back in the fridge overnight. Don't leave it longer than 24 hours, as the base will start to soften.
• Take the tart out of the fridge for 10 minutes before serving, but unmould straight away. Sit the tart pan on top of a large tin or jar and let the ring part fall away, then transfer the dramatically revealed tart to a plate or board. Leave the pan base on.
• Slice modestly--this is rich and sweet, and people can always come back for more--and serve with creme fraiche; the sharpness is just right here. Leftovers will keep in the fridge for 4 to 5 days, but the base will soften and the sides crumble a bit. That will not detract from your eating pleasure too much, but I still like to give it its first outing at optimal stage!

SALTED DARK CHOCOLATE TART

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine cookie crumbs and butter; press onto the bottom and up the sides of a greased 9-in. fluted tart pan with removable bottom. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes., For caramel, in a small saucepan over medium heat, combine sugar and water. Cook, shaking pan occasionally, until sugar is melted and mixture is almost clear (do not boil). , Increase heat to medium high; bring to a boil, without stirring. Cover and boil for 2 minutes while tightly holding lid of pan down. Uncover; shake pan. Cook 1-2 minutes longer or until mixture is amber, shaking pan several times., Remove from the heat; stir in cream (mixture will bubble) until smooth. Stir in butter (mixture will bubble) and salt until blended. Pour into crust; refrigerate for 15 minutes., Place chocolate in a large bowl. In a small saucepan, bring cream just to a boil. Pour over chocolate; whisk until smooth. Stir in vanilla. Let stand for 20 minutes. , Pour chocolate mixture over caramel. Sprinkle with sea salt. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours. Remove from the refrigerator about 45 minutes before serving.