PEANUT BUTTER AND CHOCOLATE TART

My husband's favorite sweet combination is chocolate and peanut butter. To celeberate his 'birthday week' I thought I would make him a dessert that combined these two rich ingredients. There's always chocolate and peanut butter ice cream, but I wanted to make something a little more decadent. I found a recipe from Fine Cooking magazine that was exactly what I was looking for. A chocolate cookie crust, with a creamy peanut butter filling toppped with a rich bittersweet chocolate glaze.

I recommend using a natural creamy peanut butter and a good quality bittersweet chocolate for the glaze.

Happy Birthday Michael!

Peanut Butter and Chocolate Tart

For the filling
1-1/2 cups whole milk
1/4 t table salt
3 large egg yolks
1/3 cup very firmly packed light brown sugar
4 t all-purpose flour
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter (preferably natural, made with only peanuts and salt)
1/2 t pure vanilla extract

For the crust
1 cup finely ground chocolate cookie crumbs, about 25 chocolate wafers*
2 T granulated sugar
3 T unsalted butter, melted

*I like the Nabisco brand chocolate wafers. If you don't have a food processor to make the cookie crumbs, put the cookies in a plastic resealable bag and crush them with a rolling pin.
For the glaze
3 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
4 T unsalted butter, cut into 6 pieces
1 T light corn syrup


To make the crust
Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 350°F. Have ready an ungreased 9-1/2-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom.

In a medium bowl, mix the cookie crumbs and sugar with a fork until well blended. Drizzle the melted butter over the crumbs and mix with the fork or your fingers until the crumbs are evenly moistened. Put the crumbs in the tart pan and use your hands to spread the crumbs so that they coat the bottom of the pan and start to climb the sides. Use your fingers to pinch and press some of the crumbs around the inside edge of the pan to cover the sides evenly and create a wall a scant 1/4 inch thick. Redistribute the remaining crumbs evenly over the bottom of the pan and press firmly to make a compact layer. (I used a metal measuring cup with straight sides and a flat base to press .)

Bake the crust until it smells nutty and fragrant, about 10 min. Set the baked crust on a rack and let cool. The crust can be made up to one day ahead of filling, and stored at room temperature, wrapped well in plastic.

To make the filling
In a medium saucepan, bring the milk and salt to a simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk the egg yolks, brown sugar, and flour until well blended. Slowly add the hot milk, whisking constantly. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until it thickens and comes to a full boil, about 3 min. Continue to cook, whisking constantly, for 1 min. Remove the pan from the heat and add the peanut butter and vanilla; whisk until well blended.

Pour the hot peanut butter mixture into the crust and spread evenly with a rubber or offset spatula. Gently press a piece of plastic wrap directly on the filling’s surface to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate the tart until cold, about 2 hours, before proceeding with the recipe.

To make the glaze
Melt the chocolate in a small bowl in a microwave or in a double boiler over medium heat (see How to melt chocolate). Add the butter and corn syrup and whisk until the butter is melted and the mixture is smooth, about 1 minute. Carefully remove the plastic wrap from the top of the chilled filling. Drizzle the glaze over the filling and spread it evenly to cover the tart completely. Refrigerate the tart in the pan until the glaze sets, about 30 minutes or up to 12 hours.