I tried to give up dessert for Lent. Yes, I am Jewish but I thought that by giving up something in solidarity with my Catholic friends I'd be more likely to exercise self-control. Well, that went out the window.
Between cupcakes, tiramisu, Milano cookies and bits of chocolate here and there over the last couple of weeks, this test of self-restraint was an epic fail. Giving up foods does not work unless you're Catholic and then somehow you're able to endure the pain for at least 40 days a year. I just don't have it in me.
Last weekend was no exception. I went to my friend's daughter's first birthday party (the first of my friends to have a baby, I might add) where, in true mommy fashion, there was enough food for an army - Baby Einstein themed cupcakes and three pizzas too many.
To top off a weekend of gluttony, I decided to make a recipe I had seen and indecorously drooled over (much to the horror of my French husband) for Chocolate Peanut Butter and Banana Tartelettes. The recipe comes from a Francophile’s cooking blog called Serve it Forth. An easy recipe in theory, but a little mishap with the tartlet crust made mine less than aesthetically perfect. Despite their imperfections, these little pieces of heaven made an ordinary Sunday afternoon a notch sweeter. Here’s what you’ll need:
I used Nestlé dessert chocolate, mixing dark and milk chocolate, although the original recipe encourages you to use the best quality chocolate you can afford. Feel free to make your own crust or use a pre-made version for convenience.
Here’s where mine went awry: I didn’t have any beans or oven-proof marbles to weigh down the crust to cook in the oven without the filling, thus the deformed/visibly homemade result. Afterward I learned that I should have blind baked the tart shell at 375°F for several minutes and then turn the oven down to 350°, which would have helped it retain its shape. Learn from my baking errors!
Ingredients
For the filling:
1 1/2 c (360 ml) heavy cream
8 oz (225 g) milk chocolate
1 3/4 oz (50 g) oz dark chocolate
4 oz (112 g) smooth peanut butter
A few drops vanilla extract
Method
1. Chop the chocolates into pieces no bigger than 1/2″ and put in a bowl.
2. In a small saucepan, heat the cream until it is steaming hot and just about to boil. Pour the cream over the chocolate, give the bowl a little shake so that the cream settles around all of the bits of chocolate and let it sit for a minute, then use a whisk to stir the mixture until the chocolate is melted and you have a homogeneous mixture.
3. Whisk the peanut butter into the warm ganache and add the vanilla. Add more peanut-butter to your liking. Let the filling cool thoroughly to room temperature. It will be thick and silky but easily spoonable.
To make the tartelettes, put a thin layer of sliced ripe banana in the bottom of each tart shell and top with the ganache.
Et voilà! Dig into your masterpiece then rub the belly to close the deal.
Lindsey is the creator of Lost In Cheeseland. She is a Paris transplant from Philadelphia, married to a Frenchman and on a permanent quest to understand the idiosyncrasies of the French. In real life, she is in charge of Marketing & Communications for an online multi-brand boutique. Check her out!
All images © Lindsey Tramuta for BitchBuzz.com