Cooking and baking with the French Pasty Chef Francois Payard can be quite a challenge. His recipes aren’t always for newbies. His recipes for chocolate are unmatched. They enter an entirely different league for using chocolate and producing decadent desserts, cookies, and sweets.
This month a Peanut Caramel Tart that will knock your socks off.
Although it looks lengthy and involved, it’s quite easy, given a couple of short cuts.
The peanuts are combined with caramel to make a gooey, rich filling resting on chocolate whipped cream.
Francois describes it as a “sophisticated candy bar”.
Makes 1 9” tart to serve 10
Filling:
- 3 oz chocolate, chopped
- 2 cups roasted peanuts
- 1 TBS + 1 tsp honey
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 2 TBS light corn syrup
- pinch of salt
- 3/4 cup heavy cream *It’s important to have the cream at room temperature to reduce splatter.
Chocolate Whipped Cream:
- 1 cup + 2 TBS heavy cream
- 10 oz chocolate, melted and kept warm.
Other Ingredients:
- 1 9 inch tart shell, fully baked *Make your own or purchase your favorite brand of pastry shell
- Chocolate shavings or other chocolate to decorate *I used kisses
The filling:
Place chocolate, peanuts and honey in a medium bowl and stir to combine.
Place the sugar, corn syrup, salt in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat and cook until mixture turns dark brown caramel colored. *If the sugar sticks to sides of pan, dip a pastry brush in water and brush the sides to remove.
Remove pan from heat. Carefully pour room temperature cream in to the caramel. Don’t stand over the pot!
Pour the caramel over the chocolate mixture and whisk until all is combined. Pour into the cooked shell and allow to cool.
Whipped Cream:
Pour cream in a bowl and whip with an electric mixer until the cream holds medium peaks.
With a silicone spatula, fold HALF of the cream into the chocolate to cool it down. Fold the remaining cream into the mix and refrigerate until firm, about 20 minutes.
Garnish tart with cream as you like. Decorate with chocolate shavings or other chocolate treats.
I used to LOVE Snickers pie. This tart brings back those delicious memories.
When I first looked at this, I thought there were little hershey’s kiss cookies on the top! 🙂
BTW – congrats trying a green smoothie. I’m trying, one of these days, to get the nerve to try making green juice… but I’m not brave enough yet.
Last year I did a charity walk and it was cold, WINDY, and I was miserable. I kept wondering why I was doing it the entire time. It wasn’t fun, it wasn’t with any kind of decent time or pace, I felt ill afterwards, and sometimes you DO have to know when to call it quits. No shame in that. And we’ll all cheer you on for your next run!