Bacon Caramel Tart

Ingredients

Crust:
• 10 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 2- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. sea salt
Caramel Filling:
• 4 slices of bacon
• 1 1/4 cup heavy cream, at room temperature
• 2 cup sugar
• 12 tbsp. unsalted butter, cubed
• 1/4 tsp. sea salt

Instructions

Make the crust:
1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
2. Add the eggs and mix just until incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
3. Next, add 2 cups flour and salt. With the mixer on low speed, mix just until incorporated. If the dough is very sticky, add remaining flour if necessary.
4. Remove the dough from the bowl, form into a disk and wrap in plastic. Chill the dough in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
5. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out dough to a 10-inch circle. Lay into a 9-inch tart pan and trim any excess dough with a knife. Freeze crust until very firm.
6. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Completely cover the crust with a large piece of aluminum foil and place pie weights, dry beans or uncooked rice into the crust. Bake for 30 minutes.
7. Remove the foil and weights. The tart shell should be light but can be baked an additional 5-10 minutes for a golden color, if desired. Cool completely.
Make the filling:
8. In a large skillet, fry the bacon until very crispy. Drain on paper towels and set aside.
9. Add the cream to the bacon pan and let stand for at least 30 minutes and until it reaches room temperature.
10. In a large heavy bottom pot, melt the sugar over medium-high heat until the sugar melts. Cook until it becomes a deep amber color, swirling the pan to cook evenly.
11. Add the butter and stir it in until melted.
12. Pour in the heavy cream (the mixture will foam) and whisk until the mixture becomes a smooth sauce. Lumps may form, if so whisk until they dissolve.
13. Remove from heat, stir in salt and let cool slightly.
14. Pour the caramel into the tart shell and gently tilt the tart pan to evenly distribute. Refrigerate until caramel is firm.
15. If desired, very finely chop 1-2 slices of the bacon and sprinkle around the edge of the tart. The remaining bacon can be reserved for another use. (Or just eaten, which is what I usually do.)
16. Enjoy!

Notes