Recipe: Caramel Nut Chocolate Tartlet

Take your dessert game to the next level with this decadent caramel nut chocolate tartlet by Arne Riehn. The young German-born pastry chef worked his way around acclaimed and Michelin-starred restaurants before joining the top-class team at Bangkok’s IGNIV, where he has the freedom to invent decadent, playful sweets.

In this special masterclass Arne has kindly shared the recipe for his Caramel Nut Chocolate Tartlet. Step-by-step photos instructions will help you nail this dessert and impress dinner party guests.

His top tip? Always measure your ingredients before you start and give yourself plenty of time as the shortcrust dough needs to rest overnight.

RECIPE

Serves: 6

Time: 90 minutes, but pastry needs to be made 1 day ahead

Chocolate short pastry

The photos show Arne making a regular short pastry, which he uses in the Pineapple Coconut Tartlet recipe. The ingredients for the chocolate tartlet simple substitute some flour for cocoa.

~ Ingredients ~

• 215g flour
• 35g cocoa powder
• 30g almond meal
• 150g butter
• 95g icing sugar
• 58g egg yolk
• 1g fine salt

~ Method ~

1. Mix the flour, cocoa, almond meal, icing sugar and salt in a bowl. Add the butter in small, cold cubes and mix until you achieve a gritty, sand consistency.
2. Then add the egg yolk and mix well.
3. Press the final dough into a flat, fat rectangle and place in the fridge overnight.
4. The next day, gently flatten the dough out with a rolling pin until it is around 2mm thick.
5. Place the flattened dough between two sheets of baking paper and return to the fridge for 1 hour.
6. On a cold surface (like a marble slab) cut out the base to match your small tart ring (8cm).
7. Cut strips approximately 26cm long and 3cm to line the sides. Place these in the tart ring and carefully press the side and base with your fingers to connect them.
8. Slice any excess dough from the top with a knife.
9. Prick holes in the base with a fork and place tart shells in the freezer, ideally for 1 hour.
10. Preheat your oven to 175°C and bake for 15 minutes.
11. Baste the tart shells with egg yolk and then bake for another 5 minutes.
12. Leave to cool completely.

Caramel Nut Tartlet Filling

~ Ingredients ~

Tart filling

• 150g Sugar
• 75g cream (room temperature)
• 50g butter (cold in small cubes)
• 250g hazelnuts with skin (plus extras for garnish)

Chocolate ganache

• 150g chocolate 70%
• 150g cream

~ Method ~

1. Preheat the oven to 175°C and measure all ingredients.
2. Roast the hazelnuts in the oven for 10-15 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, caramelize the sugar in a heavy, high-sided pan over a low to medium heat. Stir the sugar constantly for 8-10 minutes until it turns a caramel color.
4. Add the cream to the caramelized sugar bit-by-bit, stirring with a wooden spoon as you go.
5. Add the cubed butter and continue stirring until it melts completely. Then add the roasted whole hazelnuts.
6. Pour mixture into the tartlet shells. Let the tarts cool while you make the ganache.
7. For the ganache, boil the cream in a big pot over a medium heat.
8. Chop the chocolate into small pieces.
9. Place the chocolate in a tall glass jug (or similar) and pour over the hot cream.
10. Let the chocolate cream temper for 3 minutes, then start to gently mix with a silicone spatula. The ganache is ready when the mixture is shiny and fully emulsified.
11. Transfer the ganache into a piping bag and spread it thinly on top of the tart.
12. Let the tart rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.
13. Finally, finish the tartlet with extra sliced dry nuts and pieces of chocolate.

If you love this recipe, check out Pastry Chef Arne’s Pineapple Coconut Tartlet recipe too. Book a table at IGNIV to try the real deal for yourself.