Chocolate Pretzel Bar

From: Pastry chef Megan Williams, Etch, Nashville. Yield: 12 servings.
 
Pretzel Crust:
105 grams pretzels
95 grams all purpose flour
120 grams butter
60 grams brown sugar
¾ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
 
Crunch Layer:
105 grams milk chocolate
315 grams Cacao Barry Cara Crakine
 
Chocolate Ganache:
170 grams cream
20 grams glucose
210 grams 64% chocolate
1 sheet silver gelatin, bloomed and drained
¼ cup cocoa nibs
 
Chocolate Caramel Mousse:
 195 grams 64% chocolate
115 grams cream, hot
50 grams sugar
85 grams egg yolks
1 ½ sheets silver gelatin, bloomed and drained
¼  teaspoon salt
375 grams cream
 
Malt Cremeux:
250 grams cream
20 grams sugar
25 grams malted milk powder
1 ½ sheets silver gelatin, bloomed and drained
 
For pretzel crust: Line the bottom of a 10” round springform pan with parchment paper. Line the sides with a strip of acetate. Grind pretzels and flour together in the food processor until the pretzels are ground very fine and have a flour-like consistency. Cream butter, brown sugar, salt and baking soda in a mixer using the paddle attachment for 10 minutes on medium speed. Add pretzel flour and mix on low speed until the dough is formed. Press flat into springform pan. Bake at 250°F convection or 300°F conventional for 10 minutes. Allow to cool.

For crunch layer: Melt milk chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a double boiler. Add to Cara Crakine and stir or mash until the Cara Crakine has melted into the chocolate and the mixture is fluid. Spread evenly over pretzel crust. Chill for 30 minutes.
For chocolate ganache: In a saucepan over medium heat, scald cream and glucose. In a bowl, pour cream mixture over chocolate and gelatin. Whisk until ganache is smooth. Spread evenly over crunch layer. Leave to set at room temperature for 15 minutes. Sprinkle ganache layer with the cocoa nibs. Chill for 30 minutes, or while you make the mousse.

For chocolate caramel mousse: Melt chocolate in a medium sized bowl, stir in salt, then set aside. Dry caramelize sugar to very dark by heating sugar in small, heavy saucepan over low heat until sugar melts and turns dark brown, stirring frequently. Add hot cream to sugar and stir. Bring back to a simmer. Slowly add hot caramel to the egg yolks, whisking constantly. Add mixture back to saucepan and cook over very low heat until the caramel anglaise thickens slightly. Add gelatin, whisk to melt. Strain over chocolate and salt and whisk until the ganache is smooth. Whip cream to very soft peaks and fold into chocolate mixture in thirds. Spread mousse over ganache layer. Chill tart overnight.
 
For malt cremeux: In a saucepan on high heat, boil cream, sugar and malt powder. Add gelatin and whisk to melt. Strain and chill at least 6 hours or overnight. Scrape cremeux into mixer and whip using whisk attachment until mixture is very fluffy and thick, about 2 minutes.

To serve: Cut tart into 12 pieces. Serve with caramel sauce, cocoa nibs, crushed pretzels, and malt cremeux. Put cremeux in a piping bag with a ¼” round tip and pipe small kisses on the tart and plate.