Peanut butter-honey tart with ganache glaze

An invite from friends to have a Friends marathon prompted my search for a new and interesting dessert to try. I was going to just make my old standby of a ganache tart, but I ran across this recipe that puts an interesting spin on things by including layers of peanut butter and honey.

Recipe

from Bon AppetitCrust1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour5 tbsp sugar1/8 tsp salt1/2 cup chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces1 large egg, separated2 (or more) tsp waterFilling1/4 cup unsalted butter1/2 cup packed brown sugar1/2 cup heavy whipping cream1/3 cup honey1 cup lightly salted dry-roasted peanuts1 cup powdered sugar1/3 cup creamy (smooth) natural peanut butter1 tbsp plus 1-2 tsp milkpinch of saltGanache6 oz bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped1/2 cup heavy whipping cream3 tbsp lightly salted dry-roasted peanuts, coarsely choppedSpray 9-inch square or 10-inch-diameter tart pan with removable bottom with nonstick spray. Blend flour, sugar, and salt in processor 5 seconds. Add butter and blend until coarse crumbs form. Add egg yolk and 2 teaspoons ice water. Blend until moist clumps form, adding more ice water by teaspoonfuls if dry. Gather dough into ball; flatten into square or disk (depending on shape of pan). Wrap and chill 1 hour (can be made 1 day ahead). Keep chilled. Soften slightly at room temperature before rolling out.Roll out dough to 11- to 12-inch square or round. Transfer dough to prepared pan. Cut off all but 1/2 inch of overhang. Fold overhang in, creating double-thick sides. Freeze until firm, about 15 minutes. Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake crust until pale golden, checking every 5 minutes and pressing bottom if bubbling and pressing sides up with back of fork if slipping, about 28 minutes. Beat egg white in small bowl until foamy. Brush some white over hot crust to coat inside. Bake 1 minute longer. Cool on rack. Increase oven temperature to 375°F.FillingMelt butter in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in brown sugar and salt, then cream and honey. Bring to rolling boil, swirling pan occasionally. Boil 1 minute. Whisk in 1 cup peanuts. Pour filling into crust. Bake tart until filling is bubbling thickly, about 15 minutes. Cool on rack until firm, about 2 hours; freeze 15 minutes. Beat powdered sugar and peanut butter in medium bowl until blended. Gradually beat in 2 tablespoons milk, then more by teaspoonfuls to thin slightly; spread evenly over peanut filling. Refrigerate tart while preparing glaze.GanachePlace chocolate in medium bowl. Bring cream to simmer in small saucepan; pour over chocolate. Whisk until smooth. Spread glaze over tart. Sprinkle chopped peanuts around edge. Chill tart until glaze sets, at least 1 hour. Can be made 1 day ahead. Keep chilled. Let stand at room temperature 1 hour before serving.

Musings

A few notes on preparation: I only have a 9" tart pan, so we used that. We reduced the amount of chocolate to 4 oz (using Ghirardelli's bittersweet chocolate chips). We forgot to garnish the top with chopped peanuts.I was a bit worried how it would turn out, as David and I were tag-team making it (as I had various classes to attend about halfway through making the dessert). We took it as dessert to a friend's house, and it was pleasantly enjoyable. It actually tasted a lot like a candy bar--chocolate and peanut butter. It was had a nice crunch from the peanuts in the filling, and a nice balance between the different layers of flavours. It was quite sweet, so I'd probably cut the powdered sugar in half next time (1 cup is a lot!). But otherwise, it's a tasty, pretty dessert that appeals to the kid-in-a-candy-shop in all of us.