Judging a Recipe by Its Magazine Photo is Like Judging a Book by Its Cover

A month or so ago I saw a recipe for a delicious looking "tart" in a Martha Stewart magazine.

The recipe looked complicated (to me) and included lots of unhealthy ingredients like sugar, whipping cream, chocolate, and peanut butter... and even an ingredient I had never tried before - creme fraiche ("Crème fraiche is a delicious, thinner form of sour cream first developed by the French. It has a slight hold and tanginess because it contains bacterial cultures. But the amounts of cultures are minimal as compared to those in sour cream. Crème fraiche can be used as a topping, in sauces, or in a variety of other applications, and many prefer it to the standard and more commonly available sour cream because of its creamy texture.")

But it looked absolutely wonderful! I can't pass up a combination of caramel and chocolate. It reminded me of a ramped up version of Peanut Butter Pie (a family favorite).

I put away the magazine but came across it again last week. And this time I decided that I was going to try and make it.

I easily found the creme fraiche at Trader Joe's but could not find the chocolate wafers - so I ended up using a pre-made Oreo-crust pie pan. Other than that I pretty much followed the recipe - even using heavy cream for the mousse and full-fat cream cheese (usually on the Peanut Butter Pie I use fat-free Cool Whip and reduced fat cream cheese).

This afternoon the girl and I put together Martha's Peanut, Caramel and Chocolate Tart. It was pretty simple - but I don't really like recipes with multiple steps.

Now the tart (I'd call it a pie) is still in the fridge cooling - but of course I had to have a taste and you know what? I don't really care for it :( I tend to think something is going to be wonderful when the name Martha Stewart is attached to it...but I think next time I'll just stick to Aunt Jackie's Peanut Butter Pie.

Sometimes simpler is better.

Now if I was to try this recipe again, these are the changes I would make:

- I'd use Aldi caramel sauce rather than make it - I did not like the sourness that the creme fraiche added (and either add zero peanuts or break the peanuts into small bits)
-I'd use my traditional Peanut Butter Pie filling for the mousse
-I'd use milk chocolate in the chocolate ganache rather than semi-sweet

I guess I'll have to see if the rest of the family likes it or not...

Peanut Butter Pie - Work's For Me Wednesday

Here is an easy summer time dessert - Peanut Butter Pie.

I am not crazy about peanut butter at all - but this pie is delicious! It's almost like eating peanut butter ice-cream.

Peanut Butter Pie

3 oz cream cheese (softened to room temperature)
1 c powdered sugar
1/2 c super crunchy peanut butter
1/2 c milk

Whip the above ingredients together with a mixer and then fold in 8 oz thawed Cool Whip. Pour into graham cracker crust and freeze until firm. Allow to thaw for 10 minutes before serving.

I did make a couple of alterations to make it a little less calorie-filled. I used Neufchatel Cheese instead of cream cheese, as it has 1/3 less fat than cream cheese. I also used fat-free Cool Whip. Even with these modifications, this dessert is still pretty decadent - but it's not something you'd have a huge slice of anyway b/c of the sweetness.

I also added some mini peanut butter cups for a "garnish". Have you ever seen these before? I found them at Big Lots for less than $2. Sorry for the sideways photo - for some reason it will not load here the proper way! I tried it two times and it keeps turning!

One way to "portion control" the serving size is to use one of these mini pie crusts. Aren't they cute? I found them last year on sale for $1 a pack and bought about 8 packs. I had some left over pie filling when I made a regular sized pie yesterday, so I made 3 mini pies for the kids and I.

For some reason kids really love miniature things - so this is a fun dessert for them, and because it's so simple to make, they can help just about make it themselves.

Easy desserts work for me! For more Works For Me Wednesday tips, visit Rock's in My Dryer.