Caramel and Passionfruit Tart - Chef Recipe by Kirsten Tibballs

Ingredients

Want to bake your claim within the family unit? This caramel and passionfruit tart is the wow dessert for those really wanting to impress their guests this Christmas, or rather the tricky mother-in-law. The chocolate twig garnishes not only look spectacular but taste amazing and this one is sure to be a hit at your next Christmas dinner party.

Peanut shortbread:

155g unsalted butter, softened
95g icing sugar
32.5g ground peanuts
2.5g Maldon Sea Salt
1g Heilala Vanilla Bean Paste
50g whole eggs
240g plain flour
10g Callebaut Cocoa Powder 22-24%
QS Callebaut 2815 Dark Couverture 58%, melted

Salted caramel:

50mL Bulla thickened cream 35% fat
110g caster sugar
70g unsalted butter
1g Maldon Sea Salt

Passionfruit cream:

2g gold gelatine sheets (1 individual gold gelatine sheet)
180g whole eggs
92g caster sugar
65g Ravifruit frozen passionfruit puree
4g lemon zest
60g unsalted butter

Milk chocolate honey cream:

2g gold gelatine sheets (1 individual gold gelatine sheet)
136mL Bulla thickened cream 35% fat
37g egg yolks
12mL honey
65g Callebaut 823 Milk Couverture 33.6%
24g Callebaut Madagascar Dark Couverture 67.4%

Method

Peanut shortbread:

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix the soft butter, icing sugar and ground peanuts.

Add salt, vanilla and eggs and continue mixing.

Add flour and cocoa powder and mix until just combined.

Remove the dough from the mixer and press into a neat square. Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge.

Dust the bench with flour and roll the chilled dough out to 3mm in thickness.

Press the pastry into a 190mm round tart ring and line with baking paper or plastic wrap. Fill the tart with baking beads, or uncooked rice.

Bake at 170 C for 10-12 minutes, then remove the lining and continue to cook for a further 4-6 minutes.

Remove from the oven and cool.

When it reaches room temperature, brush the tart with melted dark couverture.

Salted caramel:

Boil the cream in a medium saucepan.

Heat the sugar in a separate saucepan until it melts and caramelises. Once you achieve a caramel, remove from the heat and add the boiled cream. Mix to combine.

Add the butter a piece at a time, ensuring each piece is fully melted before adding the next.

Add the salt and reheat to 105 C.

Pour the caramel into a piping bag to cool.

Once cool, pipe a layer into the base of the tart shell.

Passionfruit cream:

Soak the gelatine in a bowl of cold water until soft and pliable.

In a saucepan, whisk eggs, sugar, puree and zest together over a low heat until the mixture thickens.

Remove from the heat and strain into a bowl.

Add the pre-soaked and drained gelatine and cool to approximately 55 C.

Slowly add the butter, a piece at a time, ensuring it is fully combined before adding the next.

Pipe the cream halfway into the tart shell (roughly 180g).

Milk chocolate honey cream:

Pre-soak gelatine in a bowl of cold water until soft and pliable.

Boil the cream in a saucepan.

In a large bowl, whisk egg yolks and honey together by hand. Pour in the boiled cream and combine before adding back to the saucepan.

Return the saucepan to the heat and, while stirring continuously, reheat the mixture to 80 C to produce an anglaise.

Add the pre-soaked and drained gelatine to the anglaise and mix to combine.

Strain the mixture over both couvertures placed in a bowl and whisk until the chocolate has melted.

Pour the mixture into the tart shell and fill to the top.

Smooth the top with a palette knife and freeze for a minimum of 2 hours.

Credits: Kirsten Tibballs

Photo Credits: Kirsten Tibballs