Caramel, Peanut Butter Mousse and Chocolate Tart

Caramel, Peanut Butter Mousse and Chocolate Tart

Makes one 23 cm by 8 cm (9-inch by 3-inch) tart and four 10 cm by 4½ cm (4-inch by 1¾-inch) tarts

• Almond Pasta Frolla {Sweet Shortcrust Pastry)
• Caramel
• Peanut Butter Mousse
• Chocolate Ganache
• Chantilly Cream

Almond Pasta Frolla

• 50 g (1/3 cup) almonds
• 313 g (2½ cups) plain (all purpose) flour
• 75 g (1/3 cup) caster (superfine) sugar
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon (Vietnamese or Makera if you have it on hand)
• Pinch of salt
• 198 g (¾ cup + 2 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cold, cut into pieces
• 60 ml (¼ cup) ice water
• 3 large egg yolks

1. Preheat oven to 180° C (350° F). Toast almonds until fragrant, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from oven. Let stand allowing almonds to cool to room temperature and then chill in the refrigerator, about 30 minutes.
2. Chill the flour, sugar, cinnamon, salt, butter and ice water along with the food processor bowl in the freezer, 20 minutes. (I place all dry ingredients on a sheet of non-stick baking paper first and then transfer it along with the other items onto a rimmed baking sheet.)
3. In bowl of food processor, pulse almonds until finely ground.
4. Add flour, sugar, cinnamon and salt; pulse to combine.
5. Add the butter and process until mixture resembles a coarse meal, about 30 seconds.
6. In a liquid measuring cup, using fork slightly beat the yolks and ice water together.
7. With the processor running, drizzle the yolk mixture through the feed tube and process just until the dough holds together. If the dough is crumbly add a little more ice water, one-teaspoon at-a-time until the dough comes together.
8. Transfer dough to lightly floured work surface. Lightly knead into a ball, cut into 2 pieces (use about two-thirds of the dough for one piece), shape each piece into a ball, wrap in plastic, pat down each piece into a disk. Refrigerate allowing the dough to chill for at least 1 hour. (If only making the larger tart, store leftover pastry well wrapped in the fridge for up to 3 days and up to one month in the freezer.)
9. Remove the larger piece of pastry dough from refrigerator and transfer to lightly floured work surface. Lightly dust the surface of the pastry with flour. Lightly dust rolling pin with flour and roll pastry dough into a 33 cm (13-inch) circle about 4 mm thick (between 1/8 and ¼ of an inch). Transfer pastry dough to 23 cm by 8 cm (9-inch by 3-inch) springform pan, press crust into the bottom and up the sides (flush with the rim). Trim excess pastry. Pierce the base of the pastry shell with a fork. Transfer to the freezer and chill for 30 minutes (to help prevent the pastry from shrinking while baking).
10. Remove remaining piece of pastry dough from the refrigerator, transfer to clean, lightly floured work surface and lightly dust surface of pastry with flour. Lightly dust rolling pin and roll pastry into a large circle about 4 mm thick (between 1/8 and ¼ of an inch). Cut pastry into four 18 cm (7-inch) circles. Working with one circle at-a-time, transfer to 10 cm by 4½ cm (4-inch by 1¾-inch) springform pan. Press crust into the bottom and up the sides (flush with rim), trim excess pastry and pierce the base of the shell with a fork. Transfer to freezer and chill, 30 minutes. (Pasta frolla is quite easy to work with, if necessary re-roll scraps but work quickly. If dough becomes warms refrigerate to chill before beginning the rolling process again.)
11. Preheat oven to 200° C (400° F).
12. Remove large pastry shell from freezer (bake smaller tart shells separately). To blind bake pastry shell, line the pastry shell with non-stick baking paper (making sure the paper extends up the sides of the pastry shell), fill with ceramic pie weights, uncooked beans or rice (flush to the rim). Transfer to the oven and bake, 25 minutes. Remove from oven and transfer to wire rack. Carefully remove weights and paper. Reduce oven temperature to 180° C (350° F). Return pastry shell to oven and continue to bake until golden all over, about 15 minutes. Remove from oven and transfer to wire rack. Let stand in the tin until cooled completely.
13. Increase oven temperature to 190° C (375° F). To blind bake small pastry shells, remove from freezer and transfer to rimmed baking sheet. Line shells with baking paper and fill (flush to rim) with ceramic pie weights, uncooked beans or rice. Bake, 25 minutes. Remove from oven and transfer to wire rack. Reduce oven temperature to 180° C (350° F). Remove baking paper and weights, return to oven and continue baking until golden all over, about 10 minutes. Remove from oven and transfer to wire rack. Let stand in the tins until cooled completely.

Caramel

• 281 g (1¼ cups) caster (superfine) sugar
• 60 ml (¼ cup) water
• 300 ml (1¼ cups) heavy cream, 35%, room temperature
• 42 g (3 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into 3 equal pieces, room temperature

1. In heavy-bottomed 6-litre (6.3-quart) stockpot, combine sugar and water. Place over medium-high heat and stir together with large flexible rubber spatula until the sugar is dissolved. Cook without stirring, swirling the pot occasionally over the heat (to keep the colour of the caramel even throughout the cooking process) and washing down the sides of the pot with a pastry brush dipped in water (to prevent sugar crystals from forming), until the sugar syrup reaches an amber colour.
2. Gradually add the cream while whisking constantly (don’t be concerned if the caramel hardens at this stage just continue to add the cream while whisking). (Please note when adding the cream, exercise extreme caution (I recommend wearing oven mitts) because the mixture will bubble up ferociously (this is why I prefer to use a stockpot and also the reason for making sure the cream is at room temperature before adding.)
3. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat; boil for 5 minutes while whisking constantly (any hardened bits of caramel should dissolve by this point).
4. Remove caramel from heat; whisk the butter in, one-piece at-a-time.
5. Strain the caramel through a fine mesh sieve into a pourable container. (Straining is not necessary but this will ensure a smooth caramel catching any bits of hardened caramel that did not dissolve.) Let stand allowing caramel to cool to room temperature but still pourable consistency.
6. Pour caramel into cooled pastry shells, making sure to completely cover the base of each shell (I recommend filling the small shells first and then pouring the remainder into the larger shell). Cover with plastic, transfer to the refrigerator and allow caramel to chill and firm up, 1 hour.

Peanut Butter Mousse

• 240 ml (1 cup) heavy cream
• 133 g (1 cup + 1 tablespoon) confectioners’ sugar, divided
• Seeds from one-half vanilla bean (save other half for Chantilly Cream) or 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 250 g (8.8 ounces) cream cheese, room temperature
• 300 g (1¼ cups) smooth peanut butter

1. Reserve 125 g (1 cup) confectioners’ sugar. In bowl of stand mixer fitted with whip attachment, beat heavy cream, the remainder of the confectioners sugar (8 g or 1 tablespoon) and vanilla seeds (or extract) at high speed until almost a stiff peak. Transfer whipped cream to clean bowl.
2. Using a fine mesh sieve, sift confectioners’ sugar onto a sheet of non-stick baking paper.
3. In bowl of stand mixer (no need to clean the bowl after whipping cream) fitted with paddle attachment, beat cream cheese until smooth. Add the confectioners’ sugar and beat at medium-high speed until fluffy. Add the peanut butter and again, beat at medium-high speed until combined well. Remove bowl from mixer.
4. Fold one-third of the whipped cream into the peanut butter mixture with a large flexible spatula (to loosen the mixture). Fold the remaining whipped cream in two additions.
5. Remove caramel lined tarts from refrigerator. Pour mousse over caramel layer leaving enough room for the layer of ganache. Cover with plastic and return to refrigerator to chill, 30 minutes.

Chocolate Ganache

• 500 ml (2 cups) heavy cream
• 400 g (14 ounces) good-quality bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped

1. In a small saucepan, bring cream just to the boil (small bubbles just beginning to form around the sides of the pan) over medium heat. Remove from heat and add chocolate (make sure chocolate is completely covered by the cream). Let stand 2 minutes.
2. Using a small flexible spatula, stir the chocolate mixture beginning in the centre of the saucepan working towards the edges pulling in as much chocolate as possible until the sauce is smooth and glossy. If necessary return to burner over low heat, stirring continuously until chocolate is melted.
3. Strain through fine mesh sieve into a large liquid measuring cup or heatproof pourable container. Let stand, about 15 minutes to cool and thicken slightly (but still pourable consistency).
4. Remove tarts from refrigerator. Pour ganache over the mousse layer and using a small offset spatula (or back of demitasse spoon for smaller tarts), smooth surface to edges. (Again, I recommend filling smaller tarts first.)
5. Cover with plastic and transfer to the refrigerator. Chill overnight.

Chantilly Cream

Prepare vanilla cream the night before assembling tart and whip just prior to serving (or assembling).

• 500 ml (2 cups + 2 tablespoons) heavy cream, 35%
• Seeds from one-half vanilla bean, seeded
• 31 g (¼ cup) confectioners’ sugar

1. Combine cream, vanilla bean and seeds in airtight container and whisk to well combine. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
2. In bowl of stand mixer fitted with whip attachment, beat vanilla cream and confectioners’ sugar at medium speed until stiff peaks form.

Decorate Tart

• Cocoa powder, optional

1. Transfer Chantilly cream to large pastry bag fitted with large plain tip (medium plain tip for smaller tarts).
2. Transfer large tart to dessert plate or cake stand and smaller tarts to dessert plates.
3. Pipe blobs of cream starting at the edges of the tart and working towards the centre.
4. Using small fine-mesh sieve, dust the surface with cocoa.
5. Buon Appetito!