Chocolate salted caramel pretzel pie
The centerpiece of our family Christmas dinner this year was this rather magnificent ham. It was donated by my sister-in-law whose work had handed out hams as presents. Apparently everyone had a choice between receiving a ham or a selection of macarons. The idea that anyone would have conceivably picked macarons over ham had me laughing out loud. (Something along the lines of this, if you must know.)
Anyway, it’s rather fortunate that my brother married a truly lovely and wise lady, otherwise a few days ago you would have found me trying to balance a party hat on my head while attempting to carve macarons. Not a pretty sight.
After much feasting, our post Christmas meals have featured more sensible portions of rehashed leftovers. Sandwiches, kimchi ham fried rice and turkey curry. I’m already dreaming of the day when I’m eating notHam and notTurkey for dinner.
There were no dessert leftovers, so pie was made to keep us company.
Chocolate salted caramel pretzel pies :
(enough for 2 x 8 1/2-inch pies)
For the crust :
150g mini pretzels
100g melted butter
In a food processor, blitz the pretzels to a powder. Add the melted butter and pulse until well combined. Divide the mixture between two pie tins (I used foil pie tins). Press the mixture down and up the sides of the tin. It will seem a bit loose but persevere. The end result will be worth it. Chill the crust for 30 minutes then bake in a preheated 175’C oven for 12 minutes. Once baked, allow to cool down, then chill the pie crusts while you make the caramel filling.
For the salted caramel filling :
100g demerara sugar
1 tablespoon corn syrup
30g butter
good pinch of sea salt
100g pouring cream
(optional : 100g spiced peanuts, or roasted salted peanuts)
In a medium sized pot, combine the demerara sugar and corn syrup. Allow the sugar and corn syrup mixture to caramelise, stirring occasionally with a heatproof spatula. When it has reached a deep golden brown colour, remove the pot from the heat, add the salt and butter, followed by the cream, being careful not to scald yourself. Whisk until combined. Reheat the mixture gently over a low flame if the caramel hasn’t completely dissolved. Pour the finished caramel into a heatproof bowl to allow to cool down a little, before dividing it between the two pie crusts. At this point you can also sprinkle a handful of spiced peanuts over the caramel. Chill the pies while you make the chocolate filling.
For the chocolate filling :
225g 58% dark chocolate buttons
75g butter
60g water (or beer)
Melt the chocolate and butter in a bowl over a pot of simmering water. Remove from the heat and set aside. Bring the water or beer to just below boiling point. Pour it over the chocolate-butter mixture. Let stand for 1 minute, then whisk to emulsify the chocolate. Divide the chocolate mixture between the two pies, then chill until just set. The pies are best served at room temperature but can also be served straight from the fridge. They take on a different, almost chewy texture when eaten chilled.
Tags: chocolate ganache, pretzel crust, salted caramel, tart
Sophie said,
December 28, 2011 @ 2:57 pm
My goodness that pie sounds yummy! Good thing Santa brought me a pie dish in my stocking.
Hannah said,
December 28, 2011 @ 3:41 pm
I could never, ever, ever have eyes for ham or macarons if I knew this pie was coming up. Oh dear heavens, my beating heart. Could we maaaaybe just squeeze some peanut butter into the filling too? 😀
Hannah said,
December 28, 2011 @ 3:42 pm
Oooh, I just saw the peanuts option! I should have had more faith in you 😉
Reemski said,
December 28, 2011 @ 5:37 pm
So, SO delicious xx
Rosa said,
December 28, 2011 @ 7:20 pm
A fabulous pie! Really divine looking and sounding.
Cheers,
Rosa
shaz said,
December 28, 2011 @ 10:25 pm
Genius! Genius! Genius! But then you probably know that already. Pretzels as pie base = just awesome. Can’t wait to try this one out. We finished the turkey in just two sittings (my MIL sensibly served it for Christmas eve instead of day, so we just had some turkey leftovers and ham on the day itself). We’re still working on the ham though 🙂
Laura said,
December 29, 2011 @ 1:26 am
The saltiness of the pretzel must be delicious with the caramel and chocolate, yum!
I am so stuffed with all the eating we did. I look forward to some vegetarian dishes in my future.
Brighteyedbaker said,
December 29, 2011 @ 4:27 am
This is such an interesting recipe and it looks really good! I find it quite intriguing that you can put beer in the chocolate filling.
Too bad I have no reason to make pie right now. I’ll just have to make do with staring:)
XL @ 6 Bittersweets said,
December 30, 2011 @ 5:26 am
I love sweet salty rich and crunchy combos like this — it looks absolutely delish! Happy holidays!
cakebrain said,
December 30, 2011 @ 2:47 pm
yi! that ham looks amazing! I think that saltiness and sweetness of the pie must have been heaven
grace said,
December 31, 2011 @ 8:17 pm
that’s blissful, y. luscious pie. 🙂
Anna said,
January 2, 2012 @ 11:21 am
That ham looks absolutely devine! My husband was also presented with a ham from work and we did a lovely maple and mustard glaze. What a great time of year!
InTolerantChef said,
January 9, 2012 @ 11:25 pm
Man cannot live by macarons alone! Maybe this pie though….
Alanna said,
January 11, 2012 @ 5:30 pm
Pretzel crust?! Mind=blown.
Lynn said,
February 7, 2012 @ 8:55 am
I was wondering. For the choc filling, what if we substitute water with cream? Will it spoil the taste of the pie as a whole or just make it better? I’ve nv melted choc pie filling with added water recipe. Its always add heated cream to dark choc & then let it settled in the pie crust. Or just melt choc & lil butter then let it harden again. (:
Y said,
February 8, 2012 @ 6:49 am
Hi Lynn,
You can use whatever chocolate filling you prefer. Use cream instead or use your own favourite ganache recipe even. I’m sure it’ll turn out delicious!
Bridget said,
December 26, 2014 @ 2:09 am
I pinned this recipe a few years ago and have made t twice this week alone.. (Two separate Christmas dinners) . It tastes amazing and is pretty easy to make … I’ve been doing the recipe exactly the way it is here but putting it in one 9″ pie dish. Thanks for an awesome dessert that will be a huge hit for years to come!
Y said,
December 26, 2014 @ 11:58 am
Thanks for the feedback, Bridget! 🙂