Chocolate-Peanut Butter Mousse Tart

I’ve been making this chocolate-peanut butter tart ever since Rose’s book came out–one year before I started Leite’s Culinaria! It was a staple of our entertaining table for a couple of years, which really isn’t so surprising considering The One’s favorite sweet combo is chocolate and peanut butter. He used to beg me to make it, and, of course, I’d shrug my shoulders and pretend to be disinterested, just to torture him, and then in the end carry one aloft into the dining room.

But over the past decade, various lovelies of the baking persuasion have lured me away, and this tart recipe, sadly, fell out of rotation. That was until Renee suggested we tip our hat to National Peanut Butter Day, which is January 24th. “I have the perfect recipe to celebrate with,” I said. While preparing the tart for the photo above, the whole shebang went off without a hitch, her meticulous instructions (see “LC OCD In A Good Way Note” below) were like a siren whispering in my ear. Ah, the joys of an elegant and clearly written recipe.–David Leite

LC OCD In A Good Way Note

You may be wondering “Why in the name of all that’s good and flour-y is Rose Levy Beranbaum being so OCD about this recipe with her insanely detailed instructions and unusual ingredient amounts, like “1/2 egg”? Well, first, that’s just Rose. Second, that’s what’s made her such a standout cookbook author, and why mess with something that works?

Chocolate-Peanut Butter Mousse Tart

• Quick Glance
• 35 M
• 2 H, 50 M
• Makes one 9 1/2- or 10-inch tart

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Ingredients

Directions

• Make the peanut butter mousse
• 1. In the bowl of a standing mixer, preferably fit with the whisk beater, beat the cream cheese, peanut butter, and sugar just until the mixture is uniform in color. Reduce the speed to low and add the vanilla. Beat in 1/4 cup of the whipped cream just until it is incorporated. With a large rubber spatula, fold in the rest of the whipped cream, mixing until the mixture is well blended but still airy.
• 2. Scrape the mousse into the sweet peanut butter cookie tart crust and smooth the surface so that it is level. (If the dough is rolled to the exact thickness specified, the filling and ganache amounts will be exact. If the dough is rolled a little thicker, there will be a little leftover filling and ganache.) Refrigerate the tart while preparing the ganache.
• Make the ganache topping
• 3. Break the milk and bittersweet chocolates into several pieces and place in the bowl of a food processor fit with the metal blade. Process until the chocolate is very finely ground.
• 4. Bring the cream to a boil in a small saucepan over medium heat or in a heatproof glass measure in the microwave. With the food processor’s motor running, pour the hot cream through the feed tube into the chocolate mixture. Process until smooth, scraping the sides of the bowl once or twice, about 15 seconds. Add the vanilla and pulse a few times to incorporate it. Transfer the ganache to a bowl. Cool to room temperature.
• Assemble the tart
• 5. Pour the ganache over the peanut butter mousse in a circular motion, being careful so that it does not land too heavily in any one spot and cause a depression in the mousse. Using a small metal spatula, start to spread the ganache to the edges of the pastry, then spread it evenly to cover the entire surface of the tart. If desired, make a spiral pattern by lightly pressing the spatula against the surface and running it from the outside of the tart to the center. Refrigerate the tart for at least 2 hours to set or up to 5 days. (You can wrap the tart well and freeze it for up to 3 months.)
• 6. Remove the tart from the refrigerator at least 15 minutes before serving. Unmold the tart and cut it with a sharp, thin-bladed knife, dipping it in hot water after each slice. It is as good lightly chilled as it is at room temperature.