Bonnie says: “Salty caramels are a great love of mine: that sweetness followed by deep saltiness is a wonderful experience for the palate that is close to the flavour of long-fermented, darker miso. These tartlets are a quick and easy make-ahead dessert. Serve with freshly whipped cream for maximum indulgence.”

Makes 6 x 10cm tartlets

Ingredients

For the pastry:

125g plain flour, plus more to dust
pinch of salt
55g cold unsalted butter
2–3 tbsp ice cold water

For the caramel filling:

200g caster sugar
100g unsalted butter
50g white miso
200ml double cream, plus more to serve

Method

Sift the flour into a large mixing bowl and add the salt. Cut the cold butter into small cubes and add to the flour. Using your fingertips, rub the butter into the flour, lifting it in the bowl to keep it light and cool. Continue until it resembles crumbs.

Sprinkle with some of the ice-cold water and start to bring the pastry together, picking up any stray pieces and bringing them into the dough. Sprinkle in more water if required.

Place the dough onto a work surface sprinkled lightly with flour and knead lightly to form a smooth ball. Divide into 6 even balls.

Roll out each ball using a few short strokes to avoid stretching. Give the dough a quarter turn each time you roll to keep the round shape. Stop when each piece is 12cm in diameter.

Place the tart tins on a baking sheet, then lift each piece of pastry over a rolling pin and across each tin. Press the dough into the edges of the tin using your fingers; don’t trim the edges yet. Chill for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 190°C/gas mark 5.

Fill each pastry case with rounds of baking parchment and add baking beans or raw rice to weigh it down. Bake for 10 minutes.

Remove the paper and beans/rice and cook the pastry for a further 5 minutes. Trim the excess pastry on each tart tin using a small sharp knife and leave to cool on a wire cooling rack.

Reduce the oven temperature to 160°C/gas mark 3.

Make the filling: put the sugar and 2 tbsp of cold water into a large pan and heat gently, stirring.

When the sugar has completely dissolved, increase the heat until it turns a rich caramel colour. It will bubble and spit if it is too hot, so keep an eye on the heat.

Remove from the heat and stir in the butter and miso, followed by the cream. Return to the heat and boil until the sauce is thick enough to leave a gap on the base of the pan when you draw a spoon across it.

Fill the pastry with the caramel and return to the oven for 8–10 minutes until the filling is bubbling.

Cool for 10 minutes before removing carefully from the tin. Serve with fresh cream.

The best miso recipes that aren’t soup, from chicken hot pot to ginger cheesecake