Chocolate, Caramel and Honey Roasted Peanut Tart

This is a tart I've been wanting to make for quite some time. A layer of caramel pitted with honey roasted peanuts and then coated by a bittersweet chocolate ganache means decadent salty, caramelly, sort of sweet tasty.

Ingredients: Tart Base

1.25 cups all-purpose flour

1/3 cup sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter

Ingredients: Caramel

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup sugar, sifted

1 Tbs. light corn syrup

2 Tbs. salted butter, at room temp.

Ingredients: Ganache

8 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

1 cup + 2 Tbs heavy cream

4 Tbs. unsalted Butter cut into 4 pieces and at room temp.

Ingredients: Extras

3/4 cup honey roasted peanuts (or other nuts - this would work well with hazelnuts for a more nutella feel)

Method: Tart Base

1. Preheat oven to 375F.

2. In a food processor, combine flour, sugar, salt, and butter, and process until large moist crumbs form.

3. Transfer the dough to a round tart pan (9inch in diameter).

4. With floured fingers press the dough into the pan.

5. Freeze until firm (around 30min).

6. Take out the freezer, and prick all over with a fork.

7. Bake until golden (20-25min).

8. Let cool to room temp.

Method: Caramel

1. Bring the cream to boil.

2. Meanwhile, in a non-stick fry pan over medium heat sprinkle in around 3 Tbs of sugar.

3. Wait for it to melt, stir it with a wooden spoon. Then add another 3 Tbs of sugar.

4. When this set of sugar has melted add the rest of the sugar, wait for it to melt.

5. Stir with a wooden spoon.

6. Add the corn syrup and stir again. Boil until a deep caramel colour has been achieved.

7. Stand back from the fry pan and add the butter.

8. When the butter has melted, add the cream.

9. Lower the temp. a smidge and let the caramel boil for 2 min.

10. Pour the caramel into a heatproof bowl (also make sure the bowls microwave safe) and set aside.

Method: Ganache

1. Put the chocolate bits into a heatproof bowl.

2. Bring the cream to a boil and pour half on top of the chocolate.

3. Wait 30 seconds, and then with a whisk very gently stir the chocolate and cream together (begin with small circles in the center and then slowly make larger circles).

4. Pour in the rest of the cream, and stir using the same circular motions.

5. When it is smooth and shiny stir in the butter (one piece at a times). Don't stir the ganache any more then you have to - the less you work it the better the texture will be.

6. Cover the ganache with plastic wrap - pressing the plastic against it as to seal it.

7. Set aside at room temp.

Method: Assembly

1. Using a small rubber spatula stir the peanuts into the caramel. If the caramel has cooled to an unusable concrete consistency put it in the microwave and zap it for 3 seconds and see how it is. Keep zapping it until it becomes useful again.

2. Spread the caramel over the base of the tart shell.

3. Put the tart base with the caramel in the fridge for 15 min to let the caramel set.

4. Next is the ganache - check and see if it is a pourable consistency. If not, do as you did the caramel to make it useful again (zap zap zap).

5. Rap the bowl on your bench and then pour it on top of the caramel and peanuts. Jiggle the pan to even it out.

6. Refrigerate for 30 min. And then let it be at room temp for serving.

Taken from the ever wonderful: Dorie Greenspan "Baking from My home to Yours" pp. 355-7.