Bitter Chocolate, Sesame, and Caramelized Miso Tart

Another interesting recipe from Japanese Patisserie that I wanted to try to replicate. I got tricked by the recipe -- the recipe makes way too much of everything; in this recipe I've basically halved all the ingredient amounts compared to the original recipe. Either way, this is a rich, unctuous tart -- serve small slices! I really like the addition of the miso caramel -- you can't really taste the miso but it adds a nice rich, smooth, almost umami note to the tart. And the sesame seed soil gives a nice textural contrast. The original recipe calls for "tempered chocolate shapes, to decorate", but I've decided to skip that as it doesn't really add much for the dish and takes a long time.

Active Time: 2 hr

Total Time: 3 hr


Ingredients

chocolate shortcrust pastry
> butter (1 stick, 112g)
> sugar (72g)
> egg (1)
> flour (200g)
> cocoa powder (20g)

miso caramel:
> heavy cream (80g)
> corn syrup (20g)
> sugar (100g)
> butter (1.5 tbsp)
> miso paste (40g)

chocolate tart filling:
> whole milk (100g)
> heavy cream (150g)
> dark chocolate (250g, chopped)
> eggs (~1.5)

sesame seed soil:
> sugar (50g)
> dark chocolate (35g, finely chopped)
> white sesame seeds (1 tbsp)
> black sesame seeds (1 tbsp)


Instructions

chocolate shortcrust pastry:
1. Cream together the butter and sugar until well mixed.
2. Add the egg, beat until smooth and fully incorporated
3. Gently fold in the flour and cocoa powder until just combined. Do NOT overmix.
4. Form the dough into a ball / disk, wrap it in plastic wrap, and let chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
5. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface into a thin layer. Line a 9-inch tart pan as neatly as possible. Trim away untidy edges, and let chill in the fridge for at least 15 minutes.
6. Blind bake at 400F with baking beans for 15-20m, or until cooked through. Set aside and let cool in the pan.

miso caramel:
1. Heat the cream in the microwave for around 30s, or until just warm. Set aside.
2. Cook the sugar and corn syrup in a saucepan over medium heat until you have a rich, dark caramel.
3. Immediately stir in the butter until melted.
4. Remove the pan from the heat and gradually pour in the warm heavy cream, stirring constantly. Stir in the sweet miso paste.
5. Allow the caramel to cool a little bit, and pour into the chocolate shortcrust pastry.
6. Put the tart in the freezer for around 1h, or until the caramel has set.

chocolate filling:
1. Bring milk and heavy cream to the boil in a saucepan. Remove from the heat.
2. Put the chopped dark chocolate in a large mixing bowl. Pour the milk / heavy cream over the chocolate and stir until melted. Whisk in the eggs.
3. Pour the filling into the tart case on top of the caramel, passing the mixture through a fine mesh strainer.
4. Bake at 300F for 30-40m, or until just set in the middle. Cool in the fridge for at least 1h.

sesame seed soil:
1. Cook sugar in a saucepan with a touch of water (just enough to make a wet sand consistency) over medium heat until the temperature reaches 130C / 266F.
2. Remove the sugar mixture from the heat and add the chocolate and sesame.
3. Pour the resulting mixture onto a tray lined with parchment paper and let cool.
4. Using a bench scraper / cleaver / knife, chop the solidified sesame seed soil into a soil-like texture.
5. Sprinkle the edges with the sesame soil.


Notes/Tips:

> When you make the chocolate shortcrust pastry, at first it will look too loose / crumbly, as if there isn't enough liquid holding it all together. That is normal and expected; resist the urge to add more water. It is okay if it crumbles a little bit when lining the tart; you can always patch it afterwards.
> It is important to let the chocolate shortcrust pastry chill in the fridge before attempting to roll it out -- otherwise it'll be impossible to handle and stick to everything.
> Make sure to flour ALL of your surfaces; the bottom of your surface, the top of the dough, the rolling pin. Otherwise it'll stick to something, making the overall process much more annoying. Just a little bit of flour will suffice.
> When you add the butter and cream into the caramel when making the miso caramel, the caramel will froth a lot. It is VERY hot; be careful to avoid splashes / burning yourself.
> It is VERY important that you cool down the tart (after baking it for the last time) before serving it. I made the mistake of cutting into it when it was still warm, and a bunch of miso caramel started gushing out.
> Contrary to what the recipe says in the book, the sesame seed soil will NOT look like it has a soil-like texture at first, when you first pour the mixture into the parchment paper. The chocolate immediately melts and you just end up with a brown gloop. It is only after you chop it up that it gets that texture.