BAKED Sunday Morning: Malted Crisp Tart

Good morning! This is just one of those weeks and I am even running behind schedule for my BAKED Sunday Morning post. Oh, well. We just had a fabulous morning treat with our coffee.

I started making this tart last night, but fell asleep on the couch while the pastry cream was chilling, so I made the chocolate ganache and assembled it this morning. This is definitely a tart that you want to make in two different days because of the many steps. I made the brown sugar crust in a 9-inch spring form pan and that went very well, but I almost gave up on the caramelized crispies step because I kept stirring and stirring and no caramelization was happening. Finally, after probably 15 minutes (seemed like an eternity), the thin, dry layer of sugar that had formed on the bottom and sides of the saucepan starting dissolving and Viola! Caramelized Rice Crispies!

Of all the pies and tarts I have made, this one was not only the most time consuming, but also the most flavorful because of the layers of brown sugar crust, chocolate ganache with crushed malt balls and caramelized rice crispies, pastry cream with whipped cream mixture, and the final decorative layer of crispies with whole malt balls. This is a dessert to impress and one I would be proud to serve to dinner guests. The texture of this satisfies my love of crunchy and smooth desserts. We loved the smooth, silkiness of the chocolate ganache and pastry cream mixed with the crunchiness of the malted milk balls and caramelized crispies. Don't be intimated by the number of steps and ingredients. Pace yourself and make this and you will have a perfect dessert for your next party.

I can't wait to see what the other BAKED members did with this tart. You can check their tarts out over at BAKED Sunday Mornings, along with the recipe.

Next BAKED Sunday: April 10 - Carrot Coconut Scones with Citrus Glaze