Pie and Pastry Bible (89 page)

For the best chewy texture, use a thermometer for testing the caramel. If it is not cooked long enough, it will be too soft; if cooked too long, it will be hard instead of sticky.

CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTERMOUSSE TART

T
his is my take on the classic American peanut butter pie. It manages to be intensely peanut buttery but light and soft, with a wonderfully chewy peanut butter cookie crust and meltingly smooth chocolate topping. Creamy/fudgy when cold, creamy/moussy when closer to room temperature, this tart is reminiscent of the much-loved Reese’s peanut butter cup.

EQUIPMENT

A 9½-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom

Make the dough (page 63). Roll, shape, and prebake it (see page 252). Let cool.

SERVES: 6 TO 8
INGREDIENTS	MEASURE	WEIGHT
	VOLUME	OUNCES	GRAMS
Sweet Peanut Butter Cookie Tart Crust for a 9½-inch tart (page 63), prebaked and cooled		•	•
Peanut Butter Mousse cream cheese, softened	(about 2½ cups) 7 tablespoons	(15.6 ounces) 4 ounces	(444 grams) 113 grams
peanut butter, preferably Jif, at room temperature	½ cup	4.6 ounces	133 grams
sugar	¼ cup	1.75 ounces	50 grams
pure vanilla extract	1 teaspoon	•	•
heavy cream, softly whipped	¾ liquid cup	6 ounces	174 grams
Milk Chocolate Ganache Topping milk chocolate	1¼ cups one 3-ounce bar	7.5 ounces 3 ounces	212 grams 85 grams
bittersweet chocolate	of a 3-ounce bar	2 ounces	57 grams
heavy cream	liquid cup	2.7 ounces	77 grams
pure vanilla extract	teaspoon	•	•

MAKE THE PEANUT BUTTER MOUSSE

In a mixer bowl, preferably with the whisk beater, beat the cream cheese, peanut butter, and sugar until uniform in color. On low speed, beat in the vanilla. Beat in ¼ cup of the whipped cream just until incorporated. With a large rubber spatula, fold in the rest of the whipped cream until blended but still airy. Scrape the mousse into the prepared tart shell and smooth the surface so that it is level. Refrigerate the tart while preparing the ganache.

MAKE THE GANACHE TOPPING

Break the chocolates into several pieces into the bowl of a food processor with the metal blades. Process until the chocolate is very finely ground.

In a heatproof glass measure, if using a microwave oven, or in a small saucepan, bring the cream to a boil. With the motor running, immediately pour it through the feed tube onto the chocolate. Process until smooth, about 15 seconds,
scraping the sides of the bowl once or twice. Add the vanilla and pulse a few times to incorporate it. Pour the ganache into a liquid measure or bowl. Let cool to room temperature.

Pour the ganache over the peanut butter mousse in a circular motion, so that it does not land too heavily in any one spot and cause a depression. With a small metal spatula, start by spreading the ganache to the edges of the pastry, then spread it evenly to cover the entire surface. Make a spiral pattern by lightly pressing the spatula against the surface and running it from the outside to the center.

Refrigerate the tart for at least 2 hours to set.

Remove the tart from the refrigerator at least 15 minutes before serving. Unmold the tart (see page 251) and cut with a sharp thin blade, dipped in hot water between each slice. It is as good lightly chilled as it is at room temperature.

STORE

Room temperature, up to 1 day; refrigerated, up to 5 days; frozen, up to 3 months.

UNDERSTANDING

For the ganache, the flavor of milk chocolate seems to meld better with peanut butter than the usual bittersweet chocolate. A little bittersweet chocolate is added just to temper the sweetness. Milk chocolate is softer than bittersweet, so less cream is used than for the standard ganache. Amazingly, it stays shiny even after freezing as long as it is wrapped once it is frozen so the plastic wrap does not mar the surface.

CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER MOUSSE SEVEN-TIER TART

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here are many people who would be thrilled to find this exquisitely delicious tiered tart in place of the traditional wedding cake. And it is very practical to make it, as it freezes perfectly for up to 3 months. There are three luscious layers to each tier of this tart: a quarter-inch-deep peanut butter cookie crust, a five-eighths-inch deep peanut butter mousse, and a just under one-eighth-inch-thick milk chocolate ganache. It is delicious both chilled and at room temperature, making it perfect for a presentation piece. The special acrylic stand (page 670) makes it appear to be levitating in air.

The recipe here is given for all seven layers, but if you prefer not to make all the layers, the components are broken down in amounts for each individual size in the chart on page 321.

EQUIPMENT

Seven fluted tart pans with removable bottoms (see page 664: 4¾ inch, 5½-inch, 7¾-inch, 9½-inch, 10-inch, 11-inch, and 12½-inch) and Pie in the Sky acrylic tiered stand (see page 670)

Make the dough (page 63). Roll shape (see page 252), and prebake it, starting with the largest tart (see chart, page 321). Add scraps to the dough for each subsequent tart as you proceed, ending with the smallest. Let cool. Leftover dough can be frozen or made into cookies.

MAKE THE PEANUT BUTTER MOUSSE

In a mixer bowl, preferably with the whisk beater, beat the cream cheese, peanut butter, and sugar until uniform in color. On low speed, beat in the vanilla. Beat in 2 cups of the whipped cream just until incorporated. With a large rubber spatula,
fold in the rest of the whipped cream until well blended. Scrape the mousse into the prepared shells, filling them to
to ¼ inch below the top of the crusts (for exact amounts, see page 321), and smooth the surface of each so that it is level. Refrigerate the tarts while preparing the ganache.