Chocolate Tart

Mimi Thorrison's Chocolate Tart with Salted Caramel Sauce

Everyone needs a good chocolate tart recipe and this one by Mimi Thorrison is a winner, for sure. I fell in love with cooking all over again when I first got my hands on A Kitchen in France at the beginning of last year.  The dreamy French country lifestyle, the family life portrayed by the Thorrisons and the incredible photography of Oddur Thorrison, Mimi's husband, completely won my heart. This book stays on my table year-round, both for inspiration and because I just really love the recipes.


This dessert is an indulgent ending to a lovely sit-down dinner. While the tart is lovely by itself, the addition of the salted caramel sauce and the cream takes it up another notch.  And it's always nice to have that extra sauce in the refrigerator for a few days to add to an afternoon cup of coffee!

Heat the milk, pour over the chocolate, stir, add the egg and stir again. So easy.

Cooling in the afternoon light.

Chocolate Tart Dough

(Makes enough for two tarts)

2 cups (240g) all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (50g) almond flour
1/2 cup (60g) confectioner's sugar
2 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar
A pinch of fine sea salt
10 1/2 tablespoons (150g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 large egg

In a bowl, mix together the flour, almond flour, sugars, salt, butter and egg until mixture forms a dough. Divide dough into two balls, flatten slightly, and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate one hour.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to fill a 9-inch tart pan. Press gently into pan. Trim excess dough and prick all over the base with a fork. Cover and freeze for 30 minutes to prevent shrinkage during baking.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F/180 degrees C.

Line tart pan with parchment paper and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove parchment paper and weights and bake until dry, 3-4 minutes more. Set aside to cool. Switch oven off and prop open door so there is a little gap.

Chocolate Tart Filling

5 ounces (150g) bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1/2 cup (120ml) heavy cream
1/4 cup (60ml) whole milk
1 tablespoon (15g) salted butter
1 large egg, lightly beaten

Make the chocolate filling.  Put the chocolate in a heatproof bowl. In a small saucepan, bring the cream, milk and butter to a low boil over medium heat. Immediately pour over the chocolate and stir until chocolate has completely melted. Slowly pour in the egg, mixing well.

Gently pour the mixture into the the tart shell. Transfer to the turned-off oven, close the door, and leave in the oven for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside to cool for at least 3 hours.

Salted Caramel Sauce

1/2 cup(100g) granulated sugar
1/2 cup (120ml) heavy cream, warmed
3 tablespoons salted butter, at room temperature

Meanwhile, make the salted caramel sauce.  Melt the granulated sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat, do not add water, and do no stir until it has nearly completely melted. (This is the tricky part.) Then, swirling the pan occasionally, cook until the sugar is uniformly amber in color. Remove from the heat and carefully pour in the heated cream and stir with a wooden spoon to combine. Stir in the butter.

Return sauce to low heat and cook, stirring constantly until smooth, 5 to 10 seconds. Let cool. Sauce can be stored in a covered jar in the refrigerator for up to a week.

To serve: slice chocolate tart, drizzle with caramel sauce and top with whipped cream.

Recipe and instructions by Mimi Thorrison as published in A Kitchen in France.