Chocolate, almond and caramel tartlets (vegan)

I love making vegan caramel, I usually love further flavouring it with other elements (not just salt, but also whiskey, pepper or whatever makes you happy). For these tartlets I made a simple caramel sauce because the cacao pastry and the mousse were so rich I didn’t want to make it overwhelming. It was so delicious, so delicious I really need to share this with you.

Recipe and ingredients:

Cacao sweet crust pastry  (makes 4 tartlets)

120g flour

60g vegan butter – I use naturli for pastries

15g almond flour

15g cacao powder (I used vahlrona because it’s exceptional)

80g icing sugar 

30g water

Mix flour and butter until mixtures feels like breadcrumbs. Add the salt and cocoa powder and mix, then add the cold water and quickly being the dough together. Flatten in a disc and rest 1h in the fridge. 

Blind bake for 10-15’ at 170C fan.

Caramel 

70g light brown

28g vegan butter

40ml vegan heavy cream 

While the pastry shells are baking, make the caramel. Put half of the sugar in a heavy bottom saucepan on the stove and do not touch it until it starts melting. Remove from stove and stir in the rest of the sugar, mixing well before returning to the stove and not touching until the sugar melts. Once melted and bubbly, stir in the vegan butter and mix quickly with a balloon whisk. Finally, remove from the stove and stir in the heavy cream. Pour in a glass container and set aside until ready to use. I let my caramel always rest a couple of hours in the fridge. 

Once the pastry shell and the caramel  are cool, pipe the caramel in the shell and let set for 15-20’ in the fridge. 

Almond pastry cream 

200g almond milk

1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste

30g light brown sugar

15g cornflour

15g almond flour 

Put the milk and vanilla on the stove and heat until 40C (it has to be warm to the touch). Pour on a bowl where you have mixed brown sugar, cornflour and almond flour. Mix well until well combined, then return to the stove and keep whisking until the cream thickens. Set aside, with cling film touching the top. 

Pipe the pastry cream in the shell above the caramel, using a butter knife to level it. Let set in the fridge. 

Cacao Mousse

(Make the day before)

35g water

1,5g potato protein 

140g dark chocolate

100g almond milk 

2g citrus fibre emulsifier 

Pinch of xanthan gum

Pinch of cream of tartar 

Pinch of baking soda

20g caster sugar 

Mix water and potato protein and let sit in the fridge.

Melt the chocolate. Heat the almond milk and pour on the chocolate, emulsifying with a stick blender. Transfer water and potato protein to a bowl where you have the xanthan gum, cream of tartar and baking soda. Start whipping and once soft peak forms add the sugar slowly. Use 45g of the meringue folding it in the chocolate. Pipe the mousse in the moulds and freeze for 6h. 

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