Chop the nuts of your choice.
Bake the tartlet shells as per the recipe below. Once they are baked allow them to cool down completely before filing them.
Start filling tartlet shells with 2 tsp. each of salted caramel. Each tartlet shell should be filled up to 2/3rd of it.
Top it with chopped nuts and refrigerate. Serve chilled.
Tartlet shell recipe : Mix the all-purpose flour and salt till they come together. Keep it aside.
Beat the butter in a mixing bowl with an electric hand-blender till it is creamy and smooth.
Add the sugar to the butter and beat it till it is fluffy and smooth. There should be no sugar or butter lumps.
Beat the egg in a separate bowl and mix it to the butter-sugar mix gently. Beat everything again well for a minute or two.
Now, mix the flour in parts to it and make it into a dough. At this stage, you may choose a wooden spoon or spatula over the hand beater. The texture of the dough should be something similar to a cookie dough. Roll a ball in your palm and it should hold its shape and not crumble. Then you would know that it is done.
Take a cling-film sheet and put the dough on it. Gather it into a disk and wrap it nicely. Put this into your refrigerator for 25-30 minutes to firm up.
Keep your tartlet moulds ready. I used 3-4 inch tartlet pans with removable bottoms.
Take the pie dough out of the fridge. Remove the cling film and keep it aside.
Now, put some dough in the tartlet pans and press it to spread it inside. It is a pliable dough which will start spreading with the push of your fingers. Line the inside of the tartlet pans equally with extra care to crevices. You may also use the back of a measuring cup to line the dough nicely in the pans.
Once it is done, prick the dough gently with a fork so that while baking it does not puff up. Cover the pans with a cling wrap once more and put them into freezer for 15 minutes.
Pre-heat your oven.
After 15 minutes, put the pans on to a larger baking sheet and pop it into the oven for 12 minutes of bake mode. Once done you will see that the crust looks set and dry with slightly golden edges. The base of the tartlets should also look dry completely.
Now, broil it for 2-3 minutes for the perfect colour. You would notice that the edges have shrunk from the pans and have loosened up. Take it out of the oven.
Now, whisk the white of an egg and brush it gently over the inside of the tartlet shells. This would work as a moisture barrier between the shells and the filling. This way, it won’t get soggy. You may let it dry on its own. As the shells are very hot, it would cook the egg white, or you may also put it back in the over for a minute.
Now, let the shells cool off completely. Do not try to un-mould them while it is still hot or they will break off.
Once they has cooled down, simply push the bottom of the shells upwards and they will come out nice and clean. If you want to remove the bottom as well, then simply run a thin knife between the base and the shell. It would come out nicely as well.
Now, you may wrap them in a cling-wrap and store it in your fridge for a month or so. Or, you can use it immediately. It is always better to allow them to chill before you put in the filling. Also, do not put hot filling in them or it would melt the butter in the shells.
