The Salty Turtle Tart

I 8 NY ,Jonathan Meyer and Will Griffin

A beloved staple of the Brooklyn Flea, I 8 NY, a product of dynamic duo of two West Coast kitchen renegades, Jonathan Meyer and Will Griffin, has been serving up tasty sandwiches, swoon worthy sweets, and refreshing sides since June 2011.

According to Jonathan and Will, "this is our take on trail mix. We're both from the West Coast. We grew up on trail mix and granola and only later discovered 'European' food. Now we reach back to the flavors of where we come from and try to spin them in a new way. It's spicy, salty, sweet, and delicious."

While they're on hiatus from the Brooklyn Flea, check out their website, I8NYfood.com for a list of upcoming winter dinners that are not to be missed.

To make the crust:

*1 cup flour

*1 tablespoon sugar

*1 tablespoon water

*8 tablespoons butter

*½ teaspoon salt

*½ teaspoon lemon zest

*¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

Whisk dry ingredients together in a bowl. Cut butter into small pieces and work into dry mixture with your fingers until uniformly crumbled. Add water and vanilla extract, mix until a ball is formed. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate at least 30 minutes. When chilled, pull dough from refrigerator, roll out to a uniform thickness of 1/8 inch and press into a removable-bottom fluted tart pan. Chill for 1-2 hours, then bake at 375°F for 25 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool.

To make the caramel:

*1 1⁄2 cups sugar

*3 tablespoons light corn syrup

*1⁄4 teaspoon kosher salt

*6 tablespoons unsalted butter

*7 tablespoons cream

*6 tablespoons ginger juice

To Garnish:

*1 cup roasted, salted almonds (use the Marcona variety if you can get your hands on them)

In a medium sized saucepan (pick one with a little extra room), combine salt, sugar, corn syrup and ginger juice and slowly heat the mixture. Do not disturb the mixture during this process as you may compromise the caramel. Heat until a candy thermometer reads 340°F. At this point, remove the caramel from the heat and whisk in the cream and butter. Careful, at this stage as the mixture with bubble up. Immediately afterwards, throw the almonds into the caramel and carefully pour into your chilled tart shell. Refrigerate until set, 1-2 hours.

3. Add the ginger: Once caramel has set, sprinkle an even layer of diced crystallized ginger on top.

4. Make the ganache: Heat 8oz of heavy cream to a boil in a heavy saucepan. Pour the hot cream over 8oz of dark chocolate (70% cocoa) chopped into small chunks. Let sit for 1 minute and stir to form a smooth mixture. Pour ganache over chilled caramel layer. Smooth surface of tart with a spatula. Let cool in refrigerator until firm.

To serve:

Use a hot knife to cut slices of chilled tart. Serve with pieces of candied ginger, toasted almonds, a sprinkle of coarse sea salt, and chunks of dark chocolate.

Photo: Courtesy of Katherine Wells