Salted Honey Tart

I know not everyone likes salt-and-sweet desserts, but personally to me this is one of the most delicious combinations there is. No matter what is the recipe – salt simply upgrades the dessert so much. It emphasizes flavors and balances the sweetness in desserts.

This next tart combines sweet and salty in a very simple way: salted honey tart. A buttery crispy short crust pastry filled with salted honey filling. The tart is very tasty on its own, but when I want to upgrade it a bit, I like to serve it with a mound of soft unsweetened whipped cream or Greek yogurt. This combination of sweet-salty-sour creates a dessert that is simply irresistible.

Looking for more desserts with honey? Try these: the perfect honey cake | homemade baklava | honey cake with chocolate Ferrero Rocher frosting | tahini honey cake with sesame streusel

Salted Honey Tart | Photo: Natalie Levin

Such great flavors combo | Photo: Natalie Levin

Salted Honey Tart | Photo: Natalie Levin

24 cm round tart pan

For the short crust pastry:

150 grams 1 cup + 1 tbsp. all-purpose flour ((see notes for gluten free version))
100 grams cold butter (cut into cubes)
40 grams 4 tbsp. powdered sugar
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg yolk
1-2 tablespoons cold water (as needed)

For salted honey filling:

75 grams butter
120 grams 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp. sugar
135 grams 1/3 cup + 1 tbsp. honey
½ a teaspoon of salt
15 grams 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 large egg
2 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
80 ml 1/3 cup whipping cream 38% fat
5 ml. 1 teaspoon lemon juice

For serving:

Unsweetened whipped cream or Greek yogurt
A little honey

Short crust pastry:

In a food processor with a steel blade place flour, butter, powdered sugar, vanilla and salt and blend until a crumbly mixture is obtained.
Add egg yolk and continue to blend just until large chunks of dough form. If the dough does not come together into large chunks – gradually add a little water.
Transfer the chunks of dough to a lightly floured work surface, combine with your hands and form a disc shape.
Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about an hour.
On a floured surface, roll the dough about 3-4 mm thick and line the baking pan. It is important to make sure that a 90 degrees angle is created between the sides and the base of the tart, which will ensure that the edges remain high.
Prick the base of the crust with a fork.
Freeze the crust for about an hour.

Blind baking:

Preheat oven to 170 Celsius degrees.
Wrinkle baking paper, spread out again and arrange it on top of the frozen crust.
Fill the paper with dry beans or special baking weights.
Bake this way for 12-15 minutes.
Carefully remove the paper and beans and continue to bake for another 5-6 minutes until the crust begins to get a light golden hue.
Cool to room temperature.

Salted honey filling:

Melt the butter and place in a mixing bowl.
Add sugar, honey, salt, cornstarch, egg, egg yolks, vanilla, cream and lemon juice and stir well until a smooth, uniform mixture is obtained.
Pour the honey filling over the half-baked crust.
Return to continue baking at 170 degrees Celsius (no fan!) for about 20-30 minutes or until the filling gets a deep golden hue, sets around the edges but is still slightly soft in the center.
Cool completely to room temperature.
Serve with soft whipped cream or yogurt and drizzle some honey.

The tart is kept in a closed container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
It is highly recommended to serve the tart when it is at room temperature and not too cold.
The tart can also be served with vanilla ice cream.
If you like really salty desserts – you can increase the amount of salt in the filling to one teaspoon.
Gluten-free version: Use glute free flour mix in the same amount instead of all-purpose flour.