Ganache Series- Salted Caramel Chocolate Tart

This is a remarkable alternative to the Chocolate Raspberry Truffle Tart...  Oh my Caramel. You are kind of my favorite.

Salted Caramel Chocolate Tart

Crust

1- 9 oz box Nabisco Famous Chocolate Wafers finely crushed
1/2 cup unsalted butter melted- 1 stick

Preheat Oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 11-inch loose bottomed tart pan with nonstick cooking spray.
Hand crush or process the cookies in a food processor, until finely crushed. Add melted butter and pulse in processor or mix until combined.
Pat the crust into prepared tart pan using a flat bottomed glass to build up the sides to 1/4 inch high. Bake for 12-15 minutes and let cool thoroughly on a wire rack.

Ganache
4 oz semisweet chocolate, finally chopped

1/2 cup heavy cream

Caramel

For the Caramel
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3 Tablespoons light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
6 Tablespoons water
6 Tablespoons unsalted butter
6 Tablespoons heavy cream
1 Tablespoon crème fraîche ( a mixture of cream and buttermilk)

Flaked Sea Salt for Garnish- Should be Flaked for a light taste

Caramel-In a medium saucepan, whisk together the sugar, corn syrup, salt, and water. Cook, without stirring, until it reaches 350º F on a candy thermometer or until amber in color. Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter, cream, and crème fraîche (the mixture will bubble vigorously) until smooth. Return the caramel to a low heat and stir until any hard crystals melt. Pour the caramel into the cooled tart shell and cool slightly; refrigerate until firm, about 4-5 hours.

Ganache-Place chocolate in a heat proof bowl and bring cream to boil over medium heat. Pour over chocolate. Let sit for a few minutes then whisk together until smooth. Cool the ganache about a half hour at room temperature. 

Pour ganache evenly over caramel and refrigerate until set, about 4-5 hours. Allow tart to set at room temperature for 15-20 minutes (depending on how warm your kitchen is) before serving. Sprinkle the tart with flaked sea salt, slice, and serve chilled. Enjoy!

Adapted from a recipe by The Galley Gourmet

Ganache Series: Truffles- Holiday Decadence

Gift them, Eat them, Bring them to the party! These luxurious two ingredient deep rich chocolate pieces of heaven... Seriously just a roll in sack with some exquisite flavorings and this chocolate hits the toungue melts on contact and makes you fall in love all over again.
( see comments on ganache)











Homemade Chocolate Truffles

16 oz. Semi Sweet Chocolate Bar, Chopped into small pieces
1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons Grand Marnier, vanilla, almond, raspberry or any flavoring (optional)
1 teaspoon espresso powder

Cocoa powder, Coconut, Chopped toasted hazelnuts, Theo's Chocolate Nibs

Chop the chocolates finely with a sharp knife. Place them in a heat-proof mixing bowl.

Heat the cream in a small saucepan until it just boils. Turn off the heat and allow the cream to sit for 20 seconds. Pour the cream through a fine-meshed sieve into the bowl with chocolate. With a wire whisk, slowly stir the cream and chocolates together until the chocolate is completely melted. Whisk in the Grand Marnier, if using, coffee, and vanilla. Set aside at room temperature for 1 hour.

With 2 teaspoons, or I use a small scoop, spoon round balls, of the chocolate mixture onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Refrigerate for 30 minutes, until firm. Roll each dollop of chocolate in your hands to roughly make a round ball. Roll in nuts, cocoa powder, or any flavorings you wish. These will keep refrigerated for weeks, but serve at room temperature.

For Nibs I like to roll a few into the truffle! Such a lovely tidbit in the middle.

Ganache Series: Basic Ganache Recipe

I have a love affair with ganache.  I find without a doubt the knowledge of a simple chocolate and cream mixture makes me a more decadent cook everyday.  It opens my options to ice a cake without a crumb in sight,  to make deeply rich and smooth love affairs with chocolate desserts, tarts, truffles that melt in your mouth! Chocolate Covered Strawberries, oh, and Molton Chocolate Cake! Cant forget that!
Its TWO, count them, two ingredients.  Nothing more.  Its warmed, its cooled.  That is all.  How can you go wrong?

A few words on ganache.

1. Dark and white chocolate are a bit more temperamental. Use semi sweet or ask if you want to try them! Ild love to tell you what I know!

2. Do not cool to quickly.  Let cool at room temperature for at least an hour before putting refrigerator.  Otherwise it looses its gloss.  Especially, if you are pouring into a tart or over a cake.

3. The addition of a small bit of espresso or coffee/espresso powder adds so much depth without actually influencing the taste!

4. Heavy whipping cream vs. whipping cream makes a difference. Use the heavy.

5. Use bar chocolate of excellence quality.  The others have fillers.  Do not use chips.

Basic Chocolate Ganache

7 minutes

16 oz. semi sweet chocolate bar- Use good quality. Organic is preferred. Chopped into small pieces
1 cup HEAVY cream


Chop the chocolates finely with a sharp knife. Place them in a heat-proof mixing bowl.
Heat the cream in a small saucepan until it just boils. Turn off the heat and allow the cream to sit for 20 seconds. Pour the cream through a fine-meshed sieve into the bowl with chocolate. With a wire whisk, slowly stir the cream and chocolates together until the chocolate is completely melted.
Pour over a cake, Make a Raspberry Truffle Tart, a Salted Caramel Chocolate Tart, Dip Fresh Local Strawberries, Make Truffles,  put a truffle inside Cake batter for a individual Molton Chocolate Cakes! Endless Ideas!

Ganache Series: Chocolate Raspberry Truffle Tart

Fair Warning* This is probably the best, richest piece of chocolate heaven you will ever eat! You will dive into a small to medium size piece, but rarely be able to tackle a large piece. It will amaze your friends, impress your enemies. Don't say I didn't warn you. And it's EASY!




Chocolate Raspberry Truffle Tart
(Adapted from Bake it to the Limit, Dede Wilson)
25 minutes, aside from chill time. 5 ingredients.

Forming crust with a flat bottom glass

Crust

1- 9 oz box Nabisco Famous Chocolate Wafers roughly crumbled by hand or in
1/2 cup unsalted butter melted- 1 stick

Preheat Oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 11-inch loose bottomed tart pan with nonstick cooking spray.
Hand crush or process the cookies in a food processor, until finely crushed. Add melted butter and pulse in processor or mix until combined.
Pat the crust into prepared tart pan using a flat bottomed glass to build up the sides to 1/4 inch high.  Bake for 12-15 minutes and let cool thoroughly on a wire rack.

Arrange raspberries in the crust

Filling
15 oz semisweet chocolate, finally chopped
1 1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 pint Fresh, LOCAL fall or summer raspberries (I especially love local fruit because it has the best flavor! You will be sorely disappointed by other berries) (reserve at least half  for latter in recipe)

Once cooled arrange berries on the cooled crust with small amounts of space around each berry around the entire crust. Place chocolate in a heat proof bowl and bring cream to boil over medium heat. Pour over chocolate. Let sit for a few minutes then whisk together until smooth. Cool the ganache about a half hour at room temperature. Then, pour the chocolate over the berries using a spatula if needed.

Let cool at room temperature for at least 2 hours then refrigerate until set, at least 6 hours, or overnight.  Let rest on counter for around 30 minutes before serving thin slices, plated with drizzle of raspberry sauce.

Raspberry sauce
1 cup raspberries
1/4 cup sugar
Lemon zest
2 squeezes half a lemon

Bring to boil over medium heat. Cook for 5 minutes,  I usually force through a wire mesh strainer with a spatula to remove most of the seeds.

Put back on stove over medium low heat.  Add 1 tsp corn starch and bring to low boil for 2-3 minutes.

Excellent variations: No raspberries? Consider a caramel layer below the chocolate, Caramel and Pecans, Hazelnuts and Caramel, Peanut Butter... the possibilities are endless!
Also individual tarts for friends, gifts, ladies tea, holidays and special occasions are darling and very indulgent!

Izzy thieves raspberries during the process!

Local Fall or Everbearing Raspberry Varieties

• Heritage - 1969, developed in New York. Very winterhardy but ripens after September first.
• Summmit - 1976, productive, small fruit, good flavor, some root rot tolerance.
• Fallred - 1964, New Hampshire. Earlier than Heritage, better size,flavor and firmness.
• Amity - Recent Oregon release similar to Fallred.
• Autumn Bliss
• Summit
• Fall Gold (yellow fruit)

There are also several varieties of gold, purple, and black raspberries. Many are less productive and less flavorful. Some varieties of black raspberries are severely affected by diseases to which red raspberries are tolerant.

Summer bearing varieties:

• Willamette - Earliest fruiting with large, dark berries. Industry standard from 1942 to 1970.
• Meeker - 1967. Popular, late, large, firm berries suitable for mechanical harvesting.
• Nootka - 1978. Short dark conical fruit, superior flavor to most varieties. Hard to find.
• Tulameen - 1990. Very large, firm fruit with very good flavor.

Derived from Nootka:

• Qualicum - 1996. Large fruit, good flavor, long shelf life reduces rots, fresh or processing.
• Malahat - 1996. Earliest variety, large fruit, good firmness,flavor good, for fresh market.

Where to buy them! 

Spooner Farms 

Pike Place Market
Farmers Markets
PCC
Whole Foods Market