Valentine’s Day is for lovers? Maybe but I say Valentine’s Day is also for chocolate. I’ll take it to the next level with Chocolate and Peanut Tart.
Those of you that know me, and even those of you that just know me from here know that I love me some GBBO. I look forward to every season, catch every episode as soon as it’s released, and rewatch my favorites bake their way to victory whenever I need a pick me up. I’ve been inspired by the contestants and their fabulous flavor combinations more than once and here we are again with this tart.
Truthfully, it’s not really a tart. The recipe inspo started as a tart and then, again, being a household of one, could not fathom making a whole big tart that is very rich for just me alone. Even if I wasn’t into super weirdo dessert rationing, I’d be eating this for longer than I should be. Therefore, I’ve transformed this from a tart into more of a mousse-slice thing which is obviously not a proper name, so I’m letting it keep its tart distinction.
I saw Nadiya bake this ages ago and just couldn’t get it out of my head. I’ve made a few tweaks to it by making it a chocolate mousse rather than a peanut mousse, but kept the salted peanut caramel crunch layer – since that was the part that intrigued me the most anyway.
I’m telling you now that this recipe is work – make the crust, make the caramel, make the mousse, make the ganache- but for a very treat-yo-self or treat-the-one-you-love holiday, it’s worth the work.
Did I mention that Valentine’s Day is also my half-birthday? So yeah, I always treat myself.
Chocolate and Peanut Tart
This chocolate and peanut tart starts with chocolate pastry, topped with a caramel mixed with salted peanuts and mousse and ganache.
Ingredients
- For the pastry crust:
- 3/4 cup plus 2 TB all-purpose flour
- 1 TB powdered sugar
- 1 TB cocoa powder
- 5 TB unsalted butter, cut in cubes
- 1 egg yolk
- 1/4 tsp lemon juice
- 1 TB ice cold water
- For the salted caramel:
- 3 TB brown sugar
- 1 1/2 TB unsalted butter
- 1 TB golden syrup (or corn syrup)
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 3 1/2 ounces roasted salted peanuts, chopped into small pieces
- For the chocolate mousse:
- 6 ounces dark chocolate, chopped
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp instant coffee
- pinch salt
- 2 TB sugar
- 1 3/4 cups heavy whipping cream
- For the chocolate ganache
- 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
- 7 ounces dark chocolate chopped
- Cocoa powder, for dusting
Directions
- Step 1 First, make the pastry crust: Preheat the oven to 350F. To a small bowl, add the flour, powdered sugar and cocoa powder. Using your fingers or a fork, rub in the butter into the flour until mostly combined. Add the egg yolk, lemon juice and water. Bring the dough together using your hands (if the dough is too dry add a splash more water). Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for 15 minutes.
- Step 2 Once the pastry has cooled, roll out the pastry to the thickness of about 1/4″ and cut to fit the bottom of a 9″ loaf pan. Fill with parchment and top with baking beans or coffee beans to bake.
- Step 3 Bake for 25 minutes. Set aside to cool.
- Step 4 While the crust cools, make the peanut caramel. Add the sugar, butter and syrup in a pan until the sugar is dissolved. Add the cream and bring to a simmer. Remove from the stove and cool completely. Once cool, stir in the peanuts then pour into the cooled pastry. Put in the fridge for about 30 minutes until set.
- Step 5 While the caramel sets, make the mousse. chocolate, vanilla, coffee, salt and sugar in a microwave safe bowl. Melt in 1 minute increments until chocolate is completely melted, careful to not overcook and burn the chocolate. Cool to room temperature.
- Step 6 In a separate bowl, whip the mousse cream to stiff peaks. Gently fold into the cooled chocolate until well combined. Pour into a loaf pan to top the caramel and put in the fridge to set for about an hour.
- Step 7 Finally, while the mousse sets, make the ganache. Place the chocolate in a bowl. Beat the remaining cream until just simmering. Pour over teh chocolate and let sit for 1 minute. Whisk until completely smooth.
- Step 8 Spread the ganache over the chilled mousse. Sprinkle it with extra cocoa. Serve immediately.
- Step 9 Store in the fridge but bring to room temperature before serving.
