Chocolate Tart with Salted Caramel and Almonds

Instructions

1. Crust
2. Mix the dry ingredients:
3. Whisk together the flour, salt, and baking powder in a medium bowl. Set aside.
4. In a separate medium bowl, combine the butter and sugar beat with a hand mixer on medium speed, pausing occasionally to scrape the bowl, until the mixture is completely smooth and slightly fluffy, about 1 minute.
5. Add the egg and beat until incorporated, then reduce the speed to low, add the dry ingredients, and mix just until you have a smooth, stiff, evenly mixed dough.
6. Scrape the dough out onto a piece of reusable food wrap or plastic wrap and press it into a ¾-inch-thick rectangle. Wrap it tightly and refrigerate until the dough is very firm, at least 2 hours.
7. After it’s had time to relax, take it out, and roll or press the dough evenly over your tart pan.
8. Use a flat hand to press the dough across the bottom and up the sides of the pan in an even layer to close any gaps, flouring your hand as necessary to prevent sticking.
9. Continue to press the dough evenly up the sides until it extends just above the pan, then transfer the pan to the freezer and chill until the dough is firm, 10 to 15 minutes.
10. Trim and line the crust:
11. Remove the pan from the freezer and place it on a sheet pan.
12. Hold a paring knife parallel to the sheet pan and slice horizontally around the rim of the tart pan, removing the excess dough and creating a smooth edge flush with the top of the pan (save the scraps of raw dough for patching any cracks in the crust after baking).
13. Prick the bottom all over with the tines of a fork, then press a layer of foil directly onto the surface of the dough and up the sides, especially working it into the groove where the bottom and sides meet (this will help prevent the dough from slumping as it bakes).
14. Blind-bake the crust:
15. Bake the tart crust until the edge is set and firm, 20 to 25 minutes.
16. Remove the pan from the oven and carefully peel off the foil.
17. Return the pan to the oven and bake until the crust is darkened in color and set all over,
18. another 15 to 20 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and let the crust cool
19. completely while you make the filling.
20. Make the ganache:
21. In a large heatproof bowl, combine the chocolate and a
22. generous pinch of salt and set aside.
23. In a small saucepan, heat the cream over medium heat just until you see gentle bubbling around the sides.
24. Remove the saucepan from the heat and set it aside for about 30 seconds to cool slightly, then pour it over the chocolate.
25. Add the butter to the bowl and let the chocolate mixture sit uncovered at room temperature, undisturbed, for about 5 minutes to allow the chocolate to melt.
26. Whisk the ganache gently, starting in the center of the bowl and working outward, until the mixture is completely smooth.
27. In a double boiler, melt the Hershey’s Salted Caramel Chips. Pour the caramel into the bottom of the cooled crust, and sprinkle with the almond slivers. Set aside to cool completely, you could put it in the refrigerator to set faster.
28. Whip the ganache and fill the tart:
29. Beat the ganache with a hand mixer on low speed to start and gradually increase the speed to medium-high and beat until the ganache thickens to the consistency of chocolate pudding and holds the marks of the whisk, about 4 minutes.
30. Scrape in the crème fraîche and fold until the mixture is streak-free.
31. Scrape the whipped ganache into the cooled tart crust, on top of the cooled caramel and almonds, and smooth the surface, working it to the sides in an even layer.
32. Drizzle the top of the tart with slightly cooled (still thin but not hot) melted caramel chips avoiding the crust if you can, sprinkle with more almond slivers, and then sprinkle with flaky Maldon salt (if using) over the surface of the tart and set it aside, uncovered at room temperature, until the filling is set, at least 15 minutes.