This decadent Salted Caramel Custard Tart with Toasted Meringue will impress your family and friends.
Salted Caramel Custard Tart with Toasted Meringue
Makes 1 (10-inch) deep-dish tart
Ingredients
- Crust:
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup finely chopped pecans
- ½ cup sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup cold butter, cut into ½-inch pieces
- 1 egg yolk
- Filling:
- 2¼ cups sugar, divided
- ½ cup water
- ¼ cup light corn syrup
- ½ cup butter
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 2½ cups whole milk
- 6 egg yolks
- Toasted Meringue (recipe follows)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°.
- For crust: In the work bowl of a food processor, pulse together flour and next 3 ingredients. Add butter, and pulse until mixture is crumbly. Add egg yolk, processing until combined. Press mixture into bottom and up sides of a 10x2-inch removable-bottom tart pan.
- Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until crust is lightly browned, gently pressing down crust with the back of a spoon if it puffs. Let cool completely in pan on a wire rack.
- For filling: In a large skillet, stir together 2 cups sugar, ½ cup water, and corn syrup. Cook, without stirring, over medium-high heat for 8 minutes or until mixture turns a deep honey color. Immediately remove from heat, and stir in butter until melted. Gradually stir in cream until mixture is smooth. Reserve 1 cup caramel in a small bowl; cover and refrigerate. Pour remaining caramel into a medium bowl, and let cool for 30 minutes.
- In a medium saucepan, whisk together cornstarch, sea salt, and remaining ¼ cup sugar. Whisk in milk until smooth, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat, and simmer, whisking constantly, for 2 minutes.
- In a medium bowl, lightly beat egg yolks until combined. Whisking constantly, add one-fourth of hot milk mixture into egg yolks in a slow, steady stream. Whisk egg yolk mixture into remaining hot milk mixture, and cook, whisking constantly, for 5 to 6 minutes or until custard is very thick. Whisk remaining caramel into custard until mixture is smooth.
- Pour warm custard into prepared crust, and cover with plastic wrap, pressing wrap on surface of custard to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate for at least 8 hours before serving or for up to 2 days.
- Spread Toasted Meringue onto custard. Using a culinary torch, brown meringue. Serve tart with reserved 1 cup caramel sauce.
Toasted Meringue
Makes about 6 cups
Ingredients
- 1½ cups sugar
- 6 egg whites
Instructions
- In the top of a double boiler, whisk together sugar and egg whites. Cook over simmering water until a candy thermometer registers 140°. Remove from heat, and immediately pour into the bowl of a heavy-duty stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Beat mixture at high speed for 10 minutes or until thick and fluffy. Use immediately.
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