AI-generated image
Carac
Chocolate tartlets
Carac: Swiss chocolate tartlets under green fondant icing
SwissBright green with a single chocolate dot, the carac is the cheerful little tart in the windows of every pastry shop from Geneva to Lausanne and Neuchâtel, and the one children in Romandie point at first. A crisp sweet shortcrust shell holds a rich dark chocolate ganache, sealed under a smooth layer of green icing. Pastry chefs use fondant; at home a thick icing-sugar glaze works well. Chef's tip: let the ganache set completely in the fridge before icing, or the green runs into the chocolate and the top looks muddy.
- Total time
- 60 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 12
Ingredients
For the pastry
- 7 oz plain flour
- 3 ⅞ oz cold butterdiced
- 1 ¾ oz icing sugar
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tbsp cold water
For the ganache
- 5 ½ oz dark chocolate (55–70%)chopped
- ¾ cup double cream
For the icing
- 7 oz icing sugar
- 2 tbsp lemon juice or water
- 2 drops green food colouring
- 12 dark chocolate buttonsor melted chocolate dots
Shop this recipe on Amazon
What you'll need
Fresh ingredients (4)
Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.
Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Rub 7 oz plain flour, 3 ⅞ oz cold butter and 1 ¾ oz icing sugar together to fine crumbs. Add 1 egg yolk and 1 tbsp cold water and press into a dough. Chill for 30 minutes.
10 minStep 2: Roll out 3 mm thick, cut 9 cm rounds and press into a 12-hole tartlet or muffin tin. Prick the bases and chill for 10 minutes. Heat the oven to 350°F (fan 325°F).
10 minStep 3: Bake for 12–15 minutes until golden all over. Cool completely in the tin, then lift out.
15 minStep 4: Heat ¾ cup double cream until steaming, pour over 5 ½ oz dark chocolate (55–70%), leave 2 minutes and stir until smooth and glossy. Fill the shells to just below the rim and chill for 1 hour until firm.
5 minStep 5: Mix 7 oz icing sugar with 2 tbsp lemon juice or water and 2 drops green food colouring to a thick, spreadable icing. Spread a thin layer over each tart to the edge and press a 12 dark chocolate buttons button in the centre. Leave 20 minutes to set.
5 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 330 kcal
- Protein
- 4 g
- Carbs
- 38 g
- Fat
- 19 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does carac take?
- About 60 minutes in total: 45 minutes to prepare and 15 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 12 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
- What can I use instead of cold butter?
- The same weight of ghee or coconut oil (for frying and most baking).
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
Kartoshka cakeCocoa and cake crumb truffles
Soviet cafés and school canteens sold these knobbly brown 'potatoes' for a few kopecks, and they began as a thrifty way to use up sponge and biscuit trimmings at the bakery. Crumbs are bound with butter and sweetened condensed milk, flavoured with cocoa and vanilla, shaped into little potatoes, rolled in cocoa and finished with two dabs of pale butter cream for the sprouts. They are fudgy and dense like a brownie truffle, need no oven, and children love making them. Traditional bakers added a spoonful of rum, an optional extra for adult batches only; this version is alcohol-free with vanilla. The usual slip is coarse crumbs, which make the potatoes crack, so blitz them as fine as sand. Chef's tip: chill the shaped potatoes for at least 20 minutes so they hold their shape and slice cleanly.
Russian
Undu walaluFried urad dal rings in treacle
Walalu means bangles, and these dark, sticky rings of fried urad dal soaked in kithul treacle are a sweet that Sinhala families bring out for Avurudu and for special almsgivings, often made in large batches by an aunt known for her steady hand. A thick, fluffy paste of ground black gram is piped into loops and fried until crisp, then plunged straight into warm treacle, so the rings stay crunchy on the outside while drinking up the syrup. They taste a little like a darker, smokier jalebi, with a toffee finish from the palm treacle. Watery batter is what ruins them; it spreads into flat blobs, so grind the soaked dal with as little water as possible and beat it until light. This recipe uses no asafoetida, so it is naturally gluten free. Chef's tip: pipe the rings onto small squares of baking paper and lower them into the oil paper and all; the paper peels away in seconds.
Sri Lankan
Apple & pear puree
A smooth, naturally sweet puree of gently stewed apple and pear, one of the first foods for babies of 4–8 months. The fruit cooks in a little unsweetened apple juice, so nothing else is needed. Serve it lukewarm; any leftover keeps covered in the fridge for a day, or freezes well in small pots.