Chocolate caramel pecan tart

Recipe Mari Loewen, Photography Ross Cornish

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A delicious combination of flavours, and well worth the effort.

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Ingredients

Makes one 8-inch tart

Pastry

1 1⁄4 cups all-purpose flour

1⁄2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon icing sugar

2 tablespoons cocoa powder

7 tablespoons cold butter, diced 1 egg

1 ounce bittersweet chocolate, melted

Caramel

1 cup granulated sugar

⅛ teaspoon cream of tartar

1⁄4 cup water

3⁄4 cup whipping cream

Chocolate ganache

1 cup whipping cream

7 ounces semi sweet chocolate, chopped

1 cup pecans, halved, toasted

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Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°. To make pastry, combine flour, salt, icing sugar and cocoa in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse to combine. Add cold butter and pulse for 10 seconds until mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Add egg and pulse to combine. Add melted chocolate and process until dough comes together. Form into ball, wrap in plastic and chill in refrigerator for 30 minutes.

On a lightly floured surface, roll dough out to 1⁄4 of an inch. Line an 8-inch tart pan with pastry, using extra dough to patch up any holes. Pierce the base with a fork several times and chill until firm, about 30 minutes. Line pastry with parchment paper and fill shell with pie weights. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove the pie weights and continue to bake for 5 minutes. Set aside to cool.

To make caramel, place sugar, cream of tartar and water in a saucepan over high heat. Bring to a rolling boil, whisking frequently, until sugar turns a golden amber colour. Slowly drizzle in cream, stirring constantly until smooth. Remove from heat and pour into a bowl to cool.

To make chocolate ganache, place cream in a saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil. Remove from heat, add chocolate and allow to sit for 1 minute. Stir until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and allow to cool.

To assemble tart, layer baked cooled pastry with caramel, pecans and finally the ganache. Chill to set.