Hazelnut, Caramel & Whisky Ganache Tart
All good things come to those who wait! If you’re looking for a weekend baking project or an indulgent dessert to impress your guests, this is it. Tender chocolate pastry, salted caramel, roasted hazelnuts and a whisky ganache; heaven! Although a little complicated, it’s definitely worth making all the elements. Enjoy!
Ingredients - Makes one 9.5inch tart
Chocolate Pastry
165g unsalted butter, softened
100g Icing sugar
1 medium egg
250g strong flour
20g cocoa powder
Pinch salt
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Salted Caramel
250ml double cream
50g unsalted butter
110g caster sugar
Pinch of salt
100g blanched hazelnuts
Whisky Ganache
225g double cream
25g runny honey
25ml good quality whisky
225g good quality 55% dark chocolate
90g unsalted butter, softened
Method
The day before:
To make the pastry; cream the butter, vanilla and icing sugar together until combined. Add in the egg and beat to incorporate. Add in the strong flour, cocoa powder and pinch of salt. Mix until everything has come together and is evenly mixed. Wrap in clingfilm and leave in the fridge overnight.
The next day:
Line a tray with baking paper and place your tart ring on top. Take your pastry from the fridge and roll out onto a floured surface.
Roll out to slightly larger than your 9.5 inch tart ring (making sure its big enough to cover the base, sides and then a little more.) Unroll over the tart ring and press into the corners before trimming the edge. Place into the fridge for 1 hour to chill.
Preheat your oven to 160°C. Place a piece of crumpled baking paper into the chilled tart ring so that it lines the entire tart and comes up above the edge. Fill with baking beans or rice. Bake for 15 minutes, rotate the tray and bake for a further 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and carefully lift out the baking beans and paper. Bake for a further 10-15 minutes until it is baked and dry to the touch. Take the tart out of the oven and leave to cool.
While your tart is baking, you can toast the hazelnuts. Spread the nuts out onto a baking tray and bake at 160°C for 5-10 minutes until golden. Leave to cool. Roughly chop the nuts, keeping a few whole for decoration.
For the caramel:
Warm the cream and keep it to one side. Place the sugar into a saucepan over medium heat. Watch the pan continuously as the sugar begins to melt. As the sugar begins to brown, gently push the un-melted sugar that’s in the pan to the hotter parts, until everything has melted and is a lovely golden brown. Try not to stir the sugar as it may crystalise. Turn the pan down to low heat. Carefully add in the butter and stir until combined. Next, gradually pour in the cream. Be careful here as the caramel will bubble ferociously. Continue to cook over low heat until all the sugar has melted around the edges of the pan. Remove from the heat and add in the salt.
Pour the caramel into the tart and spread into an even layer. Sprinkle over the chopped hazelnuts and place into the fridge to set for 30 minutes.
For the ganache:
Place the cream and honey into a saucepan over medium heat. Semi-melt the dark chocolate in a bowl. Once the cream just starts to simmer, remove from the heat and pour over the chocolate in three additions. Whisk together until combined before adding in the whisky. Finally, add in the cubed butter and whisk until you have a smooth silky ganache. I like to finish by blending it with a hand blender to make sure its fully emulsified. If your ganache looks a little grainy/split, you can add a few tbsp of cold cream to bring it back together.
Pour the ganache over the hazelnut caramel and set in the fridge for at least 2 hours. Any excess ganache can be chilled down ready for garnishing.
Finish by piping some ribbons of ganache on top and dotting on a few whole hazelnuts.
