Chocolate Tart with Praline Base

5 from 3 votes

Prep Time 1

Cook Time 1

Chilling and Cooling Time 2

Course Dessert

Servings mini tarts

Mix flours, praline paste and salt together in a large bowl. Add chopped butter and blend together with a pastry cutter or your hands. The mixture should be coarse and crumbly.
Add your ice water a tablespoon at a time and mix until dough comes together. You may not need the whole amount of water, be careful not to over add.
Form dough into a ball and wrap in cling film. Chill for about an hour.
When ready, preheat your oven to 350°F (160C) and roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to about ¼" (½ cm) thickness. Line your tart bases, taking care to press into the sides and corners. The dough makes enough for one large (9") tart based or multiple mini tarts (I made four 4" tarts). Place in the fridge to chill again for about 15 minutes, then line with a layer of foil and some ceramic beans or rice for blind baking. Bake the tart shells for about half an hour, then remove the foil linings and weights, continuing to bake for another five minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside while preparing your filling (leaving the oven on).

Place the cream in a small pan with the vanilla bean paste. Stir together and heat over a medium heat until simmering.
Remove the pan from the heat and add chopped chocolate, sugar and salt. Mix until the chocolate is melted and smooth.
In a separate small bowl, lightly whisk the egg and then add to the cream mixture, blending until combined.
Pour filling into the tart shell(s) and bake at 325°F (150C) for about 15 minutes until set.
Remove from the oven and cool.

Place the chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Warm the cream in a small pan over a medium-low heat until simmering. Pour over the chopped chocolate and leave for about two minutes, then stir until smooth. Add this to the top of each of your cooled chocolate tarts.

Prepare your workstation with a silicon sheet for setting your brittle. Place the sugar and water in a saucepan over a medium low heat, cooking and occasionally stirring until the sugar starts to dissolve. Then, raise the heat and continue to cook until the mixture starts to turn a dark golden colour. Remove from the heat, add chopped pecans and pour onto your silicon mat. Allow this to cool and set, then it can be broken into shards for decoration.