Words by Bonnie Chung. Photograph by Yuki Suguira.
We finished our meal at Aulis in London with these bite sized miso carmel tarts. When I saw these in the new Miso book, I knew we ahd to share them.
Miso sharpens the sweetness, rounds out the bitterness of dark caramel, and leaves a long, almost toasted finish on the palate. The result tastes more complex, less sugary, and far more balanced.
These tartlets look refined but are straightforward to make. A simple butter pastry shell holds a thick miso caramel that bakes just long enough to set while staying soft at the centre. The filling bubbles gently in the oven and firms as it cools, giving you that clean slice and glossy top.
“Salty caramels are a great love of mine: sweetness followed by deep saltiness is a wonderful experience for the palate that is close to the flavour of long-fermented, darker misos. These are quick and easy tarts that can be whipped up as a weekend treat. I like to serve with whipped cream for maximum indulgence.”
If you’d like to dive deeper into cooking with miso, get your copy of Miso: From Japanese Classics to Everyday Umami by Bonnie Chung.
Miso Caramel Tartlets
Ingredients
- 125 g g/4½ oz plain, all-purpose
- flour, plus more to dust
- 55 g (2 oz) cold unsalted butter
- 2-3 tbsp ice-cold water
- sea salt
- 200 g (7 oz) caster, superfine
- sugar
- 2 tbsp water
- 100 g (3½ oz) unsalted butter, chopped
- 50 g (1¾ oz) white miso
- 200 ml (7 fl oz) double, heavy
- cream, plus more to serve
Instructions
- Salty caramels are a great love of mine: sweetness followed by deep saltiness is a wonderful experience for the palate that is close to the flavour of long-fermented, darker misos. These are quick and easy tarts that can be whipped up as a weekend treat. I like to serve with whipped cream for maximum indulgence.
- You will need six 10 cm/4 in tartlet tins (pans).
- Sift the flour into a large mixing bowl and add a pinch of salt. Cut the cold butter into small cubes and add to the flour. Using your fingertips, rub the butter into the flour, lifting it in the bowl to keep it light and cool. Continue until it resembles crumbs.
- Sprinkle with some of the ice-cold water and start to bring the pastry together, picking up any stray pieces and bringing them into the dough. Sprinkle in more water if required.
- Place the dough on a work surface sprinkled lightly with flour and knead lightly to form a smooth ball. Divide into 6 even balls. Roll out each ball using a few short strokes to avoid stretching. Give the dough a quarter turn each time you roll, to keep the round shape. Stop when each piece is 12 cm/4½ in in diameter.
- Place the tartlet tins on a baking sheet, then lift each piece of pastry over a rolling pin and across each tin. Press the dough into the edges of the tin using your fingers; don’t trim the edges yet. Chill for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 170°C fan/190°C/375°F/gas mark 5.
- Fill each pastry case with rounds of baking paper (parchment paper) and add baking beans or raw rice to weigh it down. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove the paper and beans or rice and cook the pastry for a further 5 minutes. Trim the excess pastry on each tart tin using a small sharp knife, then leave to cool on a wire cooling rack.
- Reduce the oven temperature to 140°C fan/160°C/325°F/gas mark 3.
- Put the sugar and measured water into a large saucepan and heat gently, stirring. When the sugar has completely dissolved, increase the heat until it turns a rich caramel colour. It will bubble and spit if it is too hot, so keep an eye on the heat. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter and miso, followed by the cream.
- Return to the heat and boil until the sauce is thick enough to leave a gap on the base of the pan when you draw a spoon across it.
- Fill the pastry cases with the caramel and return to the oven for 8–10 minutes until the filling is bubbling. Cool for 10 minutes before removing carefully from the tins. Serve with cream.
Extracted from Miso: From Japanese Classics to Everyday Umami by Bonnie Chung (15 January, Pavilion Books, £22).