Milky Way Tart

I was looking for a Valentine's Day dessert that would be loved equally by all members of my family - my husband wished me luck : ) - and I found one....milk chocolate and caramel, how can anyone resist that!

It starts with a pre-baked, crunchy, buttery, cookie crust (pate sucree page 210). The filling is a cloud-like mousse made of melted milk chocolate and whipping cream, whose sweetness is tempered with the addition of instant coffee (I used half the amount of instant espresso powder). The third component is a buttery caramel that's not too cloyingly sweet.

Each of these components is easy to make and can be prepared well in advance of tart assembly. Once assembled, (crust caramel, whipped chocolate mousse) the tart is finished with a caramel drizzle and milk chocolate curls.

When I made this the first time, I found that the filling needed several hours to set - overnight is best. I was pressed for time so added agar agar to stabilize the filling. I used a 9" tart pan (instead of 10") and it worked out well.

This is a fabulous tart that is far more delicious than the candy bar that served as its inspiration.