Chocolate Macadamia Nut Tart
Servings:
8
prep time:
1 hour 0 mins
cook time:
1 hour 40 mins
Total time:
2 hours 40 mins
Ingredients
TART DOUGH
-
½ cup macadamia nuts
-
⅓ cup powdered sugar
-
1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
-
½ teaspoon salt
-
Vermont Creamery Unsalted Cultured Butter - 82% Butterfat, cubed
½ cup
-
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or extract
-
1 egg yolk
-
1 tablespoon water
CARAMEL & NUTS
-
1 cup granulated sugar
-
¼ cup golden syrup or corn syrup
-
¼ cup water
GANACHE
-
Vermont Creamery Crème Fraîche, divided
1 cup
-
Vermont Creamery Unsalted Cultured Butter - 82% Butterfat, cubed
¼ cup
-
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or extract
-
2 cups macadamia nuts, toasted, divided
-
1 cup heavy whipping cream, divided
-
10 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped
mascarpone whipped cream
-
Vermont Creamery Mascarpone
½ cup
-
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
Directions
- Grease 9-inch tart pan with removable bottom; set aside.
- Combine 1/2 cup macadamia nuts and powdered sugar in food processor. Pulse until nuts are just finely ground. Add flour, salt and 1/2 cup butter; pulse until texture resembles coarse cornmeal. Add egg yolk, 1 tablespoon water and 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste; pulse until dough comes together.
- Turn out dough onto work surface; shape into a ball. Press dough into greased tart pan. Chill tart in freezer 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, heat oven to 350ºF.
- Punch holes in crust with fork to allow steam to vent while baking. Cover with aluminum foil; fill with pie weights.
- Place tart pan on rimmed baking sheet; bake 25 minutes. Carefully remove foil and weights. Bake 10-15 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool at room temperature on wire rack.
- Combine 1 cup granulated sugar, golden syrup and 1/4 cup water in medium saucepan, ensuring sugar is evenly moistened. Heat over medium-low heat until sugar has dissolved. Increase heat to medium; boil 5-7 minutes or until mixture is golden to amber colored. Remove from heat; carefully and quickly whisk in 3/4 cup crème fraîche and 1/4 cup butter. Attach candy thermometer to pan; return to a boil over medium heat. Heat until temperature reaches 235ºF, then promptly remove from heat. Whisk in 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste.
- Place 1 3/4 cups macadamia nuts in cooled tart shell. Pour caramel evenly over nuts. Use toothpick to remove any big bubbles and move nuts around to make sure there are no gaps in filling. Let cool to room temperature.
- Whisk together 1/4 cup crème fraîche and 1/4 cup heavy cream in small saucepan. Heat over low heat until just simmering. Remove from heat; pour over chocolate placed in glass mixing bowl. Whisk until smooth. (If you've been mixing for a while and all the chocolate hasn't melted, place in microwave for 20 seconds, then continue whisking until smooth.)
- Pour chocolate mixture over caramel filling; smooth with offset spatula.
- Coarsely chop remaining 1/4 cup macadamia nuts; sprinkle over tart.
- Combine mascarpone whipped cream ingredients in stand mixer fitted with whisk. Beat at high speed until soft but firm peaks form. Serve tart with mascarpone whipped cream.
