chocolate caramel tart with grey sea salt

this morning, with my eyes barely open,

i did one of my favorite saturday morning activities:

i stayed in bed, smelling the coffee downstairs

and listening to the food network.

then, tyler told me his plans for the

next 30 minutes:

beef bourguignon (yum - even as a non-meat eater

i can appreciate the unbelievable-ness of beef

bourguignon) and poached pears (yum, again)

in chocolate sauce. wait, what?

why would he do that to the poor pear?

i asked larry with my eyes still shut.

i went on a rant about how people

always want to add chocolate to

things they shouldn't and they just

can't leave well enough - like a perfectly

fragrant poached pear - alone.

as larry went to go get the coffee,

i thought about fruity desserts versus

chocolate desserts and how i normally

pick the former to make

unless i'm cooking specifically for

someone else. and, that i still pull

and save chocolate recipes for

special occasions, even though

i would never ordinarily make

them, were i only baking for myself.

(however, i can't even think of the

last time i baked just for me. do

people do that?)

take this chocolate caramel tart

with grey sea salt that i made

for my father's birthday last week.

i have mentally bookmarked this

recipe three times:

first, in saveur.

second, when written about in lottie and doof.

and third, when last night's dinner told the story

of her wedding cake and anniversary celebration.

really, though, every time i have

the opportunity to make a dessert,

there are so many things i want to make,

like cookies, fruit crumbles and summer puddings.

but, when my sisters and i decided to

host dinner for my father's birthday last week,

before i decided on

the arugula, grape and gorgonzola salad,

the turkey meatballs with penne

or the cheese and scallion toasts,

i claimed the tart as the official birthday dessert.

after checking with my sisters to make

sure that my father wouldn't be offended,

considering that he would be

served a tart on his birthday

instead of a traditional frosted cake,

i headed to lottie and doof to print

the recipe. and then i paid closer

attention to the story behind his tart

and the comments that followed the recipe:

the crust that was hard to roll out,

the caramel that was possibly delicious

or possibly a little flavorless and the

ganache that seemed straightforward.

and most notably, it was not the saveur version,

but instead, the one published in diner's journal.

it lead me to closely examine the saveur version,

realizing that this one called for using

a candy thermometer on the caramel - something

i never do unless marshmallows are involved -

and that the crust was a mix and press,

not a roll and fit. hmmm.

my dad's birthday was on a saturday.

this tart, simple, but with lots of steps

and lots of chilling, made me realize

that i better start on friday. but by

friday afternoon, when i went shopping,

i still wasn't sure which version to make.

luckily, a lot of the ingredients were

already in the house and the discrepancy

between the two - quantity-wise - wasn't

so crazy that i had to make a decision

before buying everything.

after a lot of time stuck in jersey shore traffic

trying just to get home,

playing the recipes over and over in my head,

i had a plan:

saveur crust.

lottie and doof caramel.

saveur ganache.

fleur de sel a la lottie and doof.

the crust

was simple enough to

mix together,

if you don't count the

botched separated egg.

sure, it wasn't gorgeous

when pressed into the pan,

but i reasoned that people

(read: my family) would only

really see the outer crust.

and, i believed

that even that top part

would look

better after baking.

i don't know why.

so, i chilled the dough,

pierced it all over with a fork

and baked it, hoping

that i wouldn't regret a stay

in the oven sans dried beans

or pie weights.

with about four minutes left

to bake, i noticed a huge

bubble. by the time i pulled

it out, there were four more.

but, luck was on my side.

i grabbed the camera to take

a picture of my deformed crust

and by the time i got the lens in focus,

all the bubbles had deflated.

once the crust was cooled,

i set to work on the caramel,

by far the part of the tart i was

most nervous about. caramel,

as i'm sure you know, can go from

sugar water to a burnt sticky mess in

the blink of an eye and i was determined

to pour it into the crust while it

was still in the amber family.

this was one of the main reasons i

chose not to use the saveur caramel -

many reviewers mentioned that theirs

burnt while waiting to reach the correct

temperature. i only wanted to make

this filling once and i've had a feeling for a while

that my candy thermometer is slightly off,

in need of recalibration. i'd much prefer

a recipe that goes by color, even if it meant

more opportunity for personal error.

and while its true that the color jumped quickly

from clear to lightly golden to dark brown,

i'm glad i used this method. there was

an extra tablespoon of creme fraiche

and a little extra heavy cream, too.

two things that i thought would help

me possibly mellow out the flavor

and potentially firm consistency if i went

too far while simmering. at the last minute,

i worried that it would be too bland and

i sprinkled in a few pinches of kosher salt,

which i'm glad about, but i wish i had had

the guts to add even more.

otherwise, i obeyed the recipes.

i held my breath as i poured the caramel

into the crust, cringing as the hot liquid

reached the very top of the crust. and then,

as luck would have it - or a well written

recipe would indicate - it fit perfectly.

i let it cool, then placed the whole thing

in the fridge, ignoring it until morning.

a minute later, i was jumping up

and down in the kitchen. it was weird.

but, i can admit, completely

true to form.

i planned to use fleur de sel on top

of the tart because that was all i owned.

i really preferred the idea of grey sea salt

called for in the saveur recipe -

doesn't it sound all glamorous and

delicious? - but i refused to buy an extra

salt for one recipe. then, as i opened a

cabinet to put the vanilla extract away,

i saw a container and turned it around,

curious of its contents. grey sea salt.

in spite of having a much more intimate

relationship with everything i own

thanks to our recent move - i had no

idea whatsoever that it was part of my spice

collection.

(seriously, i just looked here

and i still can't spot the tin.) i texted my

sister who really tried her best to act

like she didn't think i was crazy and like

she really was just as excited by

grey sea salt as i was.

when i got home from food shopping

the next morning, i made the ganache -

the only part i wasn't worried about.

i smoothed it over the tart the best

i could, wishing at the last minute

that i had used my offset spatula

instead of the regular one, and placed it

in the fridge to set. steps, people.

they're your best friend when baking.

hours later,

i enlisted one sister to distract my father

and the other to help me remove the

pan's removable bottom from the tart.

we got the cake plate ready and while

i did my best to explain to erin why

we did have to remove the bottom, i grabbed

two spatulas. but, this is one sturdy tart.

with just a little jiggle, the crust was free

and it was so not scary to place it

on the cake plate. instead of sprinkling

the individual pieces, i sprinkled

(grey!) salt over the entire top.

after happy birthday was sung,

i took my millionth deep breath

and cut into the tart. i had read -

that for some, in both versions -

the caramel had pooled out

immediately after

the first slice was removed.

but, luck was really on my side with this

dessert - the tart cut into perfect

wedges and while the caramel bulged

a bit, it stayed put, wedged firmly

between the chocolate crust and

the chocolate ganache.

i asked (ok, made) everyone to wait a few

minutes before digging in, thinking

that while it was best sliced cold,

it was probably best enjoyed with

the caramel slightly softer.

and, then the ganache began to slide

off the top, so i started yelling,

eat, eat, eat! i'm a little difficult.

in one of the reviews (have i started

to sound like an article in cook's illustrated yet?),

i had read that this tart was basically,

a glorified twix bar. and in some

ways, that's true. but, a twix

bar doesn't boast crystals of

salt and it wouldn't mark

a special occasion at most

dinner tables. the other thing

about a twix is that a bite

doesn't come with crazy high

expectations, like this dessert did.

everyone said they liked it - i

even got a this is my type of dessert

from erin and a reassurance from my

father that he was ok eating a tart

instead of a cake on his birthday.

but, i wanted a little more oomph.

sure, it was pretty and rich and

chocolaty. but, i wished for more

salt in the crust and caramel

and a couple

splashes of vanilla extract in the

latter. larry says often that i have

high expectations and that the tart

was good. here's the thing:

i was hoping for a dessert

that would not just be good,

but one that would be remarkably

memorable.

i wanted the kind of dessert

that would maybe even make

a poached pear lover add a pool

of chocolate sauce because she

remembers that the last time

she had a chocolate dessert,

it was life changing.

but, like i said, i sometimes

have high expectations.

chocolate caramel tart with grey sea salt

adapted from saveur, diner journal and lottie and doof

i need to say that i think this was a very good tart. it's just that if i make this again, i would follow my instincts and up the salt in the crust (and use table salt instead of the coarser kosher), then add salt and vanilla extract into the caramel. i think this was one of those cases in which a few extras go a very long way. the saveur version called for chilling five hours in between each step; the diner's journal version calls for chilling until firm. i followed the former's advice, which while perfectly fine was probably somewhat unnecessary.

oh, and as for sprinkling the salt on each slice, i understand. i loved the visual of adding it to the entire thing. but, four days later, when larry offered me a bite of his leftover slice, i had already forgotten about the visual, and really, the salt altogether. it had melted into the chocolate, creating a slick top that offered a surprisingly salty bite.

crust:

1 1/2 cups flour

5 tablespoons unsweetened dutch-processed cocoa powder

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

10 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed and softened

10 tablespoons (1/2 cup, plus 2 tablespoons) confectioners' sugar

2 egg yolks, at room temperature

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

caramel:

1/2 cup water

2 cups granulated sugar

1/4 cup light corn syrup

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 stick unsalted butter, cubed

2 tablespoons creme fraiche

ganache:

1/2 cup heavy cream

4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

grey sea salt, coarse sea salt or fleur de sel

in bowl, combine flour, cocoa powder and salt.

in separate large bowl using hand mixer, beat butter and sugar 2 minutes, or until mixture is combine, pale and fluffy. add yolks and vanilla extract; mix to combine. stir in dry ingredients, just until combined. place dough in 9" fluted tart pan with removable bottom; press evenly into bottom and up sides of pan. chill in fridge 30 minutes. meanwhile, heat oven to 350˚f.

place tart pan on baking sheet; pierce crust all over with fork; bake 20 minutes, or until firm, dry and fully cooked through. transfer to rack; let cool.

in large saucepot, stir together water, sugar and corn syrup. cook over medium-high heat 10-20 minutes, or until mixture reaches a medium-amber color, swirling occasionally. (you ultimately want a caramel that's a bit darker and deeper in color, but it does continue to cook after you remove it from the heat.) remove saucepot from heat. carefully drizzle in heavy cream, then the butter, then the creme fraiche (the mixture will bubble). stir until smooth. pour the caramel into the cooled crust. let sit until cool and firm; transfer to fridge and chill 4 hours, or until very firm.

place chopped chocolate in small bowl. in small saucepot, bring heavy cream to a boil. pour cream over chocolate; let sit 3 minutes. using spatula, slowly stir mixture, starting in the center, until the cream and chocolate come together. pour ganache over tart; use spatula to spread and smooth. chill tart for several hours.

when ready to serve, remove the sides and bottom of the tart pan (trick: place the tart on top of a large can and gently wiggle off the side). cut tart into wedges; sprinkle with salt. wait 5-10 minutes before serving slices.

a week in cupcakes: july 21

my father spent the last year

in texas, and his july 17 birthday

was no exception.

so the next local celebration

was my mother's the tuesday

following blair's.

there was nothing i could do

about the fact that her birthday

fell on a tuesday

(in fact, when it comes to birthdays,

mine, my mom's and blair's always

falls on the same day of the week),

but this time i had learned from

my mistakes.

there was no way that i was

getting caught in a meeting,

coming home from work

late or tossing (delicious)

sauteed cabbage on the table

after 10 pm

and calling it

dinner.

yes, i had matured,

lived to see some things that

weren't pretty about my behavior

and set out to

change them.

all in one week.

i've talked before about

our love for carrot cake and

how sadly we were never

given the recipe to our favorite

one ever. yes, we're people who

like to cook, enjoy food that

comes out of our kitchen and like

little italian bistros, japanese joints

and tiny seafood restaurants

over the chains. but years ago,

my sisters and i loved friday's.

for the most part, i have

no idea why and i won't even

bother to try to explain it.

while i'm sure that the vanilla coke

and pizzadillas and salads

and sandwiches are nowhere near

what i remember, i am positive

that their carrot cake - which we

were only allowed on birthdays (yes,

that's where we chose to go) and after

dance recitals - was

delicious.

a big part of the reason i'm sure?

my mom still swears it was

amazing too,

and she is not clouded

by blurry childhood memories.

she knew what she was tasting:

a cake, ultra moist from the pineapple,

very orange from all

the carrots,

dotted with toasted nuts,

coconut

and juicy raisins,

then smeared with sweet

cream cheese frosting.

the huge piece, so loaded

with ingredients, was impossible

to trim into a perfect square,

but instead, always looked like

it had been cut by a child with

a plastic knife and, in turn,

was uneven in shape

and ragged around the edges.

it was the best carrot cake ever.

it hurt just a little when they

refused to give us the recipe,

and years later, when as i've already

told you, i tasted a cake just as good

and again, i was refused the recipe.

and we've had good carrot cakes

over the years, but never one

that has matched the quality -

or that we were made privy

to the recipe.

we try. a few years ago for my

mom's birthday, i made one

from emeril and while it

was ok and frosting, probably

the best i've ever had,

it wasn't it. but it did teach me

one thing, i like carrot cakes made

with oil, not butter.

i made these a year or two

later and they were very good,

but obviously not a cake.

and so this time, while in

cupcake mode, i knew

that it was time to give a

new recipe another try.

this one had pineapple,

coconut, nuts (and i could add raisins),

plus it received 4 forks

from a combined 129 reviewers -

who was i to argue?

i immediately decided that i would

change a few things, like swap the

macadamia nuts for pecans,

leave out the crystallized ginger,

add the aforementioned raisins

and add nutmeg.

plus, it was oil-based.

it looked pretty straightforward.

and delicious.

the monday before my mom's

birthday, i followed my rules:

i left at 5:30 on the dot,

shopped for the pineapple,

pecans and cream cheese

and was home before 6:20.

the hiccups were few -

actually just one, sad thing:

i really thought that i had

coconut leftover from a batch

of marshmallows, but after

emptying the cabinets,

i had an epiphany, one hour too late:

no coconut. i had toasted the whole

bag last time. it was a bummer,

but we were pushing on.

with larry's help,

i toasted the pecans

and ground them with the flour

he had just sifted, while he filled

the muffin pans with liners.

then, as he

whisked together the dry

ingredients (and turned me into

his sous chef, responsible

for putting the baking powder,

salt, cinnamon and baking soda

away), i was able to measure

raisins, drain the pineapple

and mix together the oil,

sugar and eggs.

it was synergy in the best way.

we were so efficient, however,

that the pictures are not

plentiful. the first time i

remembered to pull out the camera,

the batter was divied out.

the frosting came together

well - a traditional cream cheese

base with a cream of coconut

swirl. i loved that the mixture

had the flavor of coconut,

without the texture

that for some, can be off-putting.

i do wish, that i had the coconut

extract that most likely, took

the whole mixture to another

level. i've just never been able to

find a natural coconut extract

locally.

they rose beautifully,

but i did notice right away

that instead of the orange color

that sings true delicious carrot cake

to me, they were a golden brown,

more of a spice cake ringer.

as they cooled and the frosting

chilled, i actually had

time to make a real

honest to goodness dinner,

which larry cleaned up as

i frosted the cake. i had intended

to use a different tip than i had

for blair's, but unfortunately,

my other piping tips seemed

to have gathered together for

a summer strike - they were

nowhere to be found.

once frosted, they were pretty,

but i felt they needed just a bit

more. a gentle sprinkle of

clear crystals from my sugar

stash made them sparkle.

for the third time in less

than 10 days,

we pulled out the cupcake

carrier and carefully loaded

the cupcakes inside.

the whole thing was tucked

into its faithful spot in

the fridge, ready and waiting

for the next day.

this time, larry and i were

able to drive down together

making me happy for me

and the cupcakes.

last minute,

we ended up at a different

restaurant and we were there

first. i handed the large

carrier to the hostess, with

a candle, asking her to fridge

them for us until they were

ready.

after a good, fun dinner that was

somewhat different than

we expected - who knew that

they only serve large pizzas

for takeout? - they carried out

the carrier (i learned my lesson

this time and just left the cake plate

in the car), holding cupcakes

that looked kind of wilted,

and one candle lit.

we sang happy birthday twice.

the cupcakes were good.

they made me remember how much i

love pineapple in carrot cake,

which was probably worth it,

just for that.

i think that if it was our first

exposure to carrot cake,

we probably would have

considered them very good.

but there was something missing.

yes, they were void of coconut,

but i think it was more than that.

for me, i could have left off the frosting

and called them a hearty muffin.

so, i'm still looking for the ultimate

carrot cake recipe.

but, for one night, it didn't really

matter.

we still were together,

celebrating another birthday

with another round of cupcakes.

and that's worth more than

all of the best recipes,

huddled together,

mocking us, in our pursuit

for carrot cake perfection.

loaded carrot cupcakes with cream of coconut cream cheese frosting

adapated from bon appetit magazine

i did make quite a few changes to this recipe, which i suppose could have contributed to the final this-is-not-the-cake-we've-been-searching-for-cake, but i know in my heart, that this is just not the one. that being, said, i have to express that it's still a yummy cupcake or muffin - it's just in its own category. as i already said, i switched the nuts out, left out the crystallized ginger, accidentally had to leave out the coconut (which i would have loved), added raisins and sprinkled in some nutmeg.

2 1/3 sifted all-purpose flour (sift, then measure)

1 cup pecans, toasted

1 tablespoon, plus 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

2 cups sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

4 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups finely grated peeled carrots

3/4 cup golden raisins

1 can (14 ounces) crushed pineapple, juice drained

heat oven to 350˚f. line 24 wells of muffin pan with cupcake liners. set aside.

in food processor, combine 1/3 cup flour and pecans until just chopped; you still want pieces of the pecans; set aside.

in bowl, whisk together flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder, salt and baking soda; set aside.

in bowl of an electric mixer, beat sugar and oil until completely blended. add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. add vanilla extract; beat until combined. add flour mixture in two parts, stirring slightly to combine before beating the mixture. beat to completely combine. add pecan mixture; beat to combine. stir in carrots, raisins and crushed pineapple.

divide cupcake batter among muffin liners, filling 2/3-3/4 of the way full. bake 18-22 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in cakes comes out completely clean. let cool in pan on rack 10 minutes.

transfer cupcakes to rack; let cool completely.

when cool, frost cupcakes with frosting, using offset spatula or piping bag (i used a large plain tip). sprinkle with clear sugar crystals, if desired.

cream of coconut cream cheese frosting

to use the frosting for cupcakes instead of the cake, i reduced the amounts by one-third and it was the perfect amount. i didn't add the coconut extract, because i didn't have any, but i think that if you have it on hand, the 1/2 teaspoon would add a really delicious element.

2 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, at room temperature

1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 cups confectioners' sugar

1/2 cup well stirred cream of coconut, like coco lopez

2/3 teaspoon vanilla extract

in bowl of electric mixer, beat cream cheese and butter until completely combined, making sure to scrape the bottom of the bowl with a spatula. stir in confectioners' sugar; beat to completely combine. add cream of coconut and vanilla extract; beat just until combined. adjust confectioners' sugar, if necessary, for flavor and texture. chill 30 minutes, or until firm enough to spread.