Dueling Dishes: Peanut Butter Tart w/ Dark Chocolate Bourbon Ganache

December 10, 2012 by 5to9foodies 9 Comments

I’m excited to present my half of the “Dueling Dishes” challenge, “Challenge: Peanut Butter.” While Rae whipped up an amazing savory entree, I went the sweet route with a tart. In addition to peanut butter, I clearly can’t get enough of the bourbon. It’s in my apple cider, it’s in my cocktails, and now it’s in my dessert! This dessert may look complicated because of all of the steps, but do NOT be afraid — none of the them are overly complicated. The hardest part is waiting for the tart to chill for 2 whole hours before covering it in chocolatey goodness. First, you’ll want to make the nut topping.

Total prep Time: 35 minutes
Total bake Time: 10 minutes
Total chill Time: 2 hours plus 1/2 hour (or overnight)

Sweet Nut Topping
{Slightly adapted from These Peas are Hollow}

1 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup chopped Spanish peanuts
1/4 cup chopped almonds
2 tablespoons chopped pecans
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 large pinch of salt

In a large non-stick skillet, heat the butter over medium-high heat. Add peanuts, almonds, and pecans and saute until the nuts begin to brown slightly, about 3 minutes. Sprinkle brown sugar and salt over the nuts and stir, sauteing another 3 minutes, until sugar has melted and nuts have been coated. You’ll need to keep breaking up little bits of brown sugar as you go to make sure they coat the nuts, so just keep things moving around. Don’t forget to check the back of your spoon or spatula — it will probably have lots of yummy brown sugar topping stuck to it, so scrape it off and throw it in! Remove from heat and set aside to cool in a bowl. If you’re feeling festive, you can add gold sprinkles into the nut mixture once it has cooled.

Graham Cracker Pretzel Crust

1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1 cup ground pretzel crumbs (It took me about 2 cups worth of pretzels in the blender to get a cups-worth of ground pretzel crumbs — I did it in batches and left one of the cups slightly less ground up than the other to add texture)
1/2 cup (1 stick) melted butter

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a tart pan with non-stick spray and set aside. In a medium bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs and pretzel crumbs. Add the melted butter and mix to combine. Pour the crumbs into the tart pan and press them into the bottom and up the sides. You’ll want to press pretty hard in order to create a more sturdy crust. Once you’ve pressed the crust mixture into the pan, put it in the oven and let it back for 8-10 minutes. Carefully take it out of the oven and let it cool in the pan on a cooling rack. After it’s been cooling a bit, start the peanut butter filling.

Peanut Butter Filling

2-8 oz packages American Neufchâtel (1/3 fat cream cheese), softened
3/4 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine the cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla extract. Start at a low speed, and then once the powdered sugar has been incorporated, add the peanut butter and turn it up to high speed to let the mixture combine for a couple of minutes. If you’re a big peanut butter fan, you can add in another 1/4 cup of peanut butter. I was happy with the flavor at 3/4 cup — so just experiment!

Once your crust has cooled, gently scoop the peanut butter mixture on top of the crust in the center. Then, gently spread it out to cover the entire crust (except the edges). I used a frosting spatula and it worked great. If some crumbs come up and mix in with your peanut butter filling, don’t worry. We’ll be topping it with chocolate ganache and no one will even know. Place plastic wrap over the tart and put it in the refrigerator for 2 hours — I’m telling you this is the hardest part!  What did I do during this time?  I watched a movie. Perfect way to occupy my mind while I waited!

Dark Chocolate Bourbon Ganache
{Slightly adapted from Allrecipes}

9 ounces bittersweet chocolate (chopped, or in “chip” form)
1 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon Kentucky bourbon (optional)

If I had known that ganache was so easy to make, I would’ve been making it years ago. Place the chocolate chips or pieces into a medium bowl. Heat the cream in a small sauce pan over medium heat. Bring just to a boil, watching very carefully because if it boils for a few seconds, it will boil out of the pot. When the cream has come to a boil, take it off the heat and add the bourbon. Immediately pour the cream over the chopped chocolate, and whisk until smooth.

Allow the ganache to cool slightly before pouring over the chilled tart. Start at the center of the tart and pour outward until you’ve covered the peanut butter filling. While the chocolate is still soft, sprinkle on the nut topping. After it has set for a few minutes, cover it with plastic wrap and pop it in the fridge to chill for at least 30 minutes, or over night.

I found that the crust was a bit crumbly when I cut into it, which did not bother me. I read online that if you use powdered sugar to sweeten your crust, it will help keep it together more. Also, a ganache tip: if you ever want to make a fluffy frosting or chocolate filling for a future dessert, allow the ganache to cool until thick, then whip with a whisk until light and fluffy!

What ingredient do you think we should “duel” over next? Leave your suggestion in the “Comments” section below or find us on Facebook and let us know.  We may just pick yours next!

Jaime