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29 November 2010

Tarting it up!

I love cooking...
That's not hard to see with my continual talk about food, ingredients, eating
..and a the presence of some 'love-handles'.
My love of all things food & eating was recognized when I was invited to audition for the next series of Masterchef Australia!
An amazing experience & such an enjoyable day.
So post Masterchef I decided to 'tart up' my bog..
Introducing my Masterchef audition ..

'The Chocolate Carmel Tart'

Looks simple from the outside, but take a slice & see these beautiful layers of crisp pastry, set chocolate custard, gooey caramel & rich chocolate ganache!

Pastry
185g chilled butter
1/3 cup icing sugar
2 & 1/4 cups plain flour
1 egg yoke
iced water

Process the butter, icing sugar & flour until it resembles bread crumbs. Add the yoke & splash the water in until the dough becomes a ball in the food processor. Refrigerate for 30mins then roll out & pop into a free form tart in & bake in a moderate oven (180 degrees- pre warmed) for about 10-15mins or until golden.  

Chocolate Set Custurd

400g Dark Chocolate
315mL Cream
60g Butter
3 Eggs
2 Egg Yokes

Turn the oven down to 160 degrees. Break chocolate up & pop in a bowl with the butter. Put the cream in a saucepan & bring to the boil, then pour over the chocolate & butter, sir until smooth. Add the eggs & yokes then mix until smooth. Pour into the tart shell.....fill up to about 3/4 of the shell. Pop in the oven & bake for about 15-20mins. You will start to see little bubbles forming on the top of the chocolate mixture,  when the majority of the surface is covered with these, take the tart out of the oven...it may still be wobbly but it will set. If big bubbles are there..well the oven is too hot!
Leave it to cool.

Caramel
1 cup cream
3/4 cup condensed milk
1 cup glucose syrup
1 cup caster sugar
1/4 cup boiling water
60g butter

Pop the syrup, sugar & water in a saucepan, & stir over a medium heat until the sugar has dissolved. You may want to bush down the side of the sauce pan with a wet pastry brush so that you don't have burnt sugar in your caramel mix. Crank the heat up & cook until sugar turns a golden brown colour...at this point you have to act fast! Throw in the butter, cream & condensed milk & turn the heat down to low & stir until combined. Spoon a layer of caramel on top of the chocolate...then ganache!

Chocolate Ganache
250g chocolate ( milk / dark- I use a mixture)
1/3 cup pouring cream

Heat the cream on the stove then pour over the chocolate & mix until the chocolate is completly melted and ganache is smooth. Pour over the tart, leave to set...

Then Enjoy!