November 27, 2012

Giant Peanut Butter Cup ... of sorts

I discovered a new blog while on vacation: A Cozy Kitchen. I managed to bookmark a few recipes from there, including this treat I made for deer hunting camp at my husband's request. This is rich and delicious, yet fairly simple to make. I just used a pie plate because that's what I had handy, but you could definitely fancy up this dessert.


Giant Peanut Butter Cup
Crust
1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup plus 1 Tbsp. powdered sugar
1 large egg yolk
3/4 tsp. vanilla
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
1/4 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
Peanut Butter Filling
6 Tbsp. unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cups creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup powdered sugar, sifted
2 Tbsp. heavy cream
Chocolate Ganache
1/2 cup heavy cream
3 1/2 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips
Topping
sea salt

In the bowl, using a hand mixer or stand-up mixer with the paddle attachment on, cream butter and powdered sugar until combined, about 1 minute. Add egg yolk and vanilla, and beat until smooth. Sift in flour and cocoa powder, and beat on low speed until just combined. Scrape the dough onto a sheet of plastic wrap, and form it into a disk; wrap well. Chill until firm, at least 1 hour and up to 3 days.

Preheat oven to 325˚F. Between two sheets of lightly floured parchment paper, roll the tart dough into an 18-by-12-inch circle. Gently transfer dough to a 9 1/2-inch tart pan. Press the dough into the tart pan, trimming away any excess dough. Chill the tart shell in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.

Line the tart shell with a piece of parchment paper, and fill with raw rice or dried lentils. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove the parchment paper and its contents, and bake until the pastry looks dry and set, about 5 to 10 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack to cool. (The tart shell can be made up to 8 hours ahead.)

In a bowl, add the room temperature butter, peanut butter, powdered sugar and two Tbsp. of heavy whipping cream, and mix until smooth.

To the chilled tart shell, add the peanut butter mixture, and using a butter knife, smooth out the top. Transfer the filled tart shell to the refrigerator for 30 minutes to set.

Meanwhile, make the ganache glaze. Place the chocolate chips in a heatproof bowl. In a small saucepan, bring cream to a boil. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate, and let stand for 2 minutes, then stir with a rubber spatula until smooth. Pour some of the glaze over the tart while still warm. You can let the glaze set at room temperature for at least 2 hours OR transfer the tart to the fridge and allow to set for 30 minutes. Top with a few sprinkles of sea salt and serve.


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