Peppermint Crisp tart

Ingredients

Base and layers

• 2 packetsTennis biscuits, or coconut biscuits

Caramel

• 1 tincaramel treat, or 1 tin condensed milk boiled into caramel

Cream

• 500 mldouble cream, cold
• 2 tbspicing sugar, if wanted

Chocolate

• 3Peppermint Crisp bars, or 150 g mint chocolate, crushed

Equipment

• a rectangular dish about 20 by 30 cm

Note

• this is built on branded products and is usually made with them

Directions

1. Put the unopened tin in a deep pot on its side. Cover it with water by at least five centimetres. Boil it gently for two and a half to three hours.
2. Check the water every twenty minutes and top it up with boiling water. A tin that boils dry can burst violently. Let the tin cool completely in the water before opening it. Never open a hot tin, since the contents are under pressure.
3. Use cold double cream straight from the fridge. Whip it with the icing sugar if you want it sweetened. Stop at firm peaks that hold their shape. Beat the caramel in a bowl until smooth and spreadable. It comes out of the tin quite stiff. Put the bars in a bag and crush them with a rolling pin.
4. Leave the pieces fairly coarse rather than reducing them to dust. Coarse pieces keep their crunch through the chilling. Keep a handful back for the top. Assembling the tart is done in layers. Lay a single layer of biscuits across the base of the dish.
5. Break them to fit the corners. Spread half the caramel over the biscuits. Spread half the whipped cream over the caramel. Scatter a third of the crushed chocolate over the cream.
6. Repeat with another layer of biscuits, caramel, cream and chocolate. Spread the remaining cream over the top. Scatter the reserved crushed chocolate generously over it. Do not press the chocolate down.
7. Cover it and refrigerate it for at least four hours. A tart cut too early has hard biscuits and does not hold together. Cut it into squares with a sharp knife. Serve it straight from the fridge. It keeps for three days covered in the fridge.

Technique

• Chill it for at least four hours so the biscuits soften into a cake-like layer.
• If boiling a tin of condensed milk, keep it fully submerged and cool it before opening.
• Crush the chocolate coarsely, since fine crumbs dissolve into the cream.

Substitutions

• Dulce de leche in place of tinned caramel treat.
• Any coconut biscuit in place of Tennis biscuits.

Variations

• Made in individual glasses rather than one dish.
• With a layer of grated dark chocolate as well.
• Made with a crushed biscuit base rather than whole biscuits.

History

Built around the Peppermint Crisp chocolate bar and Nestlé caramel treat, it became a standard South African braai dessert from the 1970s.

Frequently asked questions

What is Peppermint Crisp tart?

Peppermint Crisp tart is a dessert from South Africa: layers of caramel, cream and crushed mint chocolate over coconut biscuits. Built around the Peppermint Crisp chocolate bar and Nestlé caramel treat, it became a standard South African braai dessert from the 1970s.

How long does Peppermint Crisp tart take to make?

Peppermint Crisp tart takes 25 min plus 4 hours chilling of preparation and none of cooking. The recipe makes 12 servings. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Peppermint Crisp tart?

Yes, within limits. Dulce de leche in place of tinned caramel treat. Any coconut biscuit in place of Tennis biscuits.

What is the most important thing to get right in Peppermint Crisp tart?

Check the water every twenty minutes and top it up with boiling water. A tin that boils dry can burst violently. Let the tin cool completely in the water before opening it. Never open a hot tin, since the contents are under pressure.