Recipe: Chocolate-Caramel Pecan Tart
You can also bake this candy bar of a tart in an 8x8" pan, but whatever you do, toast those nuts.
Recipe courtesy of Bon Appetit magazine.
Chocolate-Caramel Pecan Tart
Serves: 12
Ingredients:
2 cups pecans
Basic Tart Dough (See below)
All-purpose flour (for surface)
1¼ cups sugar
¼ cup light corn syrup
¼ cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons bourbon (optional)
1 ounce bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Flaky sea salt (such as Maldon)
Special Equipment:
A 10"-diameter tart pan with removable bottom
Preparation:
Place a rack in middle of oven and preheat to 350°. Toast pecans on a rimmed baking sheet, tossing occasionally, until fragrant and darkened, 10-15 minutes (you want them well toasted). Let cool, then coarsely chop.
Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface into a 13" round. Transfer to pan. Lift up edge and allow dough to slump down into pan; trim excess. Prick dough in a few places with a fork to prevent bubbles. Cover with parchment paper or heavy-duty foil, leaving overhang. Fill with pie weights or dried beans.
Place pan on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until crust is just golden and dry around the edge, 10-15 minutes. Remove pie weights and parchment and bake until golden brown and surface looks dry, 10-15 minutes longer. Transfer pan to a wire rack and let crust cool.
Meanwhile, cook sugar and corn syrup in a medium pot over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until dark amber, 8-10 minutes. Remove from heat and, whisking, gradually add cream and bourbon, if using. Add chocolate, butter, and kosher salt, stirring until chocolate and butter are melted; stir in pecans. Scrape filling into crust; sprinkle with sea salt. Let sit at room temperature at least 1 hour before slicing.
Basic Tart Dough
Too-cold doughs can crack and split when rolled; let this sit at room temperature for five minutes first.
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon sugar
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for surface
6 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 large egg, beaten to blend
Preparation:
Whisk sugar, salt, and 1 cup flour in a medium bowl. Add butter and rub in with your fingers until mixture resembles coarse meal with a few pea-size pieces remaining. Drizzle egg over butter mixture and mix gently with a fork until dough just comes together.
Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth (a few dry spots are okay). Form dough into a disk. Wrap in plastic and chill until firm, at least 2 hours.
Do Ahead:
Dough can be made 2 days ahead. Keep chilled, or freeze up to 1 month.
For more info:
- Thanksgiving 2014: Bon Appetit's complete holiday food guide
- How to Fix the 3 Biggest Thanksgiving Fails (from Bon Appetit Magazine)
- The Bon Appetit Thanksgiving App
- More recipes from Bon Appetit
- Follow Bon Appetit on Twitter (@BonAppetit) and Facebook