Chocolate Ganache and Carmel Parfait with French Sea Salt

Saveur's Chocolate Carmel Tart 

I was watching Food Network's "Best Thing I Ever Ate" show.  One of the Chefs was explaining a tart made of a chocolate cookie crust, a layer of Carmel, a layer of Chocolate ganache and then topped off with sea salt.

The visual of the tart with the Chef describing the decadent dessert made me quickly seek out my lap top and start searching for the recipe. I'm a sucker for any dessert that mixes Chocolate and Carmel - Turtles are my favorite candy, and those half bitten candies in the box? Guilty, I'm hunting for those carmel centers...

Fom my research, the yummy treat is a specialty of Brooklyn's Marlow and Sons and is a favorite download on Saveur.com http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Chocolate-Caramel-Tart.

In my Easy Gourmet way of doing recipes, I threw out the idea of making my own Carmel, gleaned a few versions of this recipe and came up with my own.  You can use martini glasses, daiquiri or Grandma's antique parfait's - This super rich, gooey dessert will be a final touch to a great holiday meal, or a special reward for a Santa's Elf after a long day of shopping...

In Layers...

Chocolate cookie layer:
12 oreos crushed in plastic bag. Use rolling pin to crush cookies.

A good carmel sauce from your local grocery or gourmet food store.

Basic Chocolate Ganache:
6 ounces chocolate, finely chopped (if you're using chocolate chips, this is 1 cup)
1/3 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

In a microwave-proof bowl, heat cream for 1 minute. Stir in chocolate.  Let rest for a minute and stir again. If not fully melted, pop into micro again for 15-second increments, stirring each time, until fully melted. Remove from microwave. Makes 1 generous cup.

French grey sea salt on top.

In glass, layer crushed cookies, carmel and ganache.   Can be served warm or set in frig. for 30 minutes. Top with a sprinkle of sea salt.
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