Salted caramel, chocolate and peanut butter tartlets

For the shortcrust pastry, preheat the oven to 180˚C. Grease and line the bases of 7 loose-bottomed tartlet tins with a diameter of 9,5cm each. Set aside until needed. In the bowl of a food processor or a large mixing bowl, place the flour, icing sugar, salt and 110g chilled, cubed butter. Blitz the mixture (or rub the butter into the mixture with your fingertips if using a bowl) until a breadcrumb- like consistency is achieved.

Add the 15ml (1 tbsp) cold water and knead the dough until it comes together. Wrap in cling film and chill in the fridge, about 15 minutes.

For the salted caramel, place the sugar and 60ml (1/4 cup) water in a medium saucepan over low heat. Stir until the sugar is dissolved. Place a sugar thermometer in the saucepan and increase the heat to high. Bring to a boil and continue to boil, about 10 – 15 minutes, without stirring, until the temperature reaches 110°C on the sugar thermometer and the mixture is a deep caramel colour.

Remove from heat and, working quickly, add the 15ml (1 tbsp) room-temperature butter, the salt and 30ml (2 tbsp) fresh cream, whisking to combine. Return to the heat and cook for a further 2 minutes or until slightly thickened. Remove from heat, stir in the vanilla extract and cool completely in the saucepan.

For the chocolate ganache, heat the 80ml (⅓ cup) fresh cream in a saucepan over medium heat until hot but not boiling. Roughly chop the dark chocolate and place in a medium mixing bowl. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate, and stir until the chocolate is melted and thoroughly combined with the cream. Set aside until needed.

Returning to the pastry, roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to a thickness of 0,5cm. Using a 10cmdiameter cookie cutter, cut out 7 discs. Press each pastry disc into a greased tartlet tin, and chill in the fridge, 15 minutes. Remove from the fridge and prick the pastry bases all over with a fork. Line each base with baking paper and baking beans or uncooked rice. Blind-bake in the preheated oven, 15 – 20 minutes. Take out of the oven, remove the baking paper and beans, then return to the oven and bake, about 7 minutes or until lightly golden. Remove from oven and allow the tartlet bases to cool completely in the tins.

Spread a tablespoonful of peanut butter over each tartlet base and sprinkle the chopped Bar-One chocolate over. Spoon 30ml (2 tbsp) of salted caramel over, spreading as you go. Finish with 30ml (2 tbsp) chocolate ganache spread over each tartlet. Chill in the fridge for 20 minutes or overnight until ready to serve.

Scatter sea salt flakes over the tartlets just before serving them.