Peanut Butter Nutella Crostata

When I visit Sicily I am pressured to bring a supply of peanut butter. It's something that, for some reason, has never taken off over here. I'm surprised because a jar of peanut butter lasts about 3 days when I open it here. They love it. So, after a week of cobblers and crumbles with lots of fruit, my sweet nephew Simone asked me, 'Zia, PLEASE can you make me something chocolate?' 

Of course. For him, anything. Ever seen those Italian paintings of child angels? Well they were drawing him. Just angelic in face and heart, even at 9 years old. Sweetie. 

I started to make him a Nutella crostata and decided to throw in a surprise of a layer of peanut butter. Yum. 

Ingredients:

1 Stick of butter /120gr

100 grams sugar

1 3/4 c flour / 200gr

An egg

1/3 c smooth peanut butter

300gr Nutella 

Extra flour and sugar

Preheat oven to 375. 
Line a 9" round cake pan with aluminum foil or parchment so it sticks out on four corners--- easier to remove your confection to place on a plate and serve with coffee! 

Mash in a bowl with a fork, a stick of butter and 100 grams of sugar. Just weigh it.  Mix in an egg. Add 1 3/4 cup flour and mix in. 
Dump out on a floured counter and roll out. It'll stick to the pin and counter. Just flour the pin. It should remind you of sugar cookie dough. When it's about double a pie crust's thickness, stop. Using a knife cut a circle 1" larger than the base of your cake pan. (set it on top.) 
Use a spatula to scrape under the circle and roll it up on the pin to transfer to the cake pan. Press in and up sides about 3/4". 

Take about 1/3 c smooth peanut butter and add a tbsp of sugar and a tbsp of flour. Mix well and spread on the bottom. 

Then pour about 300gr of Nutella into a bowl and add a tbsp flour. Mix in and pour over the peanut butter. Spread out. 

Now use the extra dough to make a lattice, make hearts, whatever. Paint with an egg wash and sprinkle with sugar. 

Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the crust is browned. You can dust when cooled with powdered sugar. Remove from pan and peel foil or paper from the bottom. Serve cooled. 

Nutella Cream Liqueur

Yes, it's as good as it sounds. It's also SO worth the little bit of effort to make and gift to the one you love...even if that 'one' is YOU!

Makes two 750ml bottles of liqueur

Two small jars of Nutella (650 g total)
2 1/2 cups cream
1 3/4 c whole milk
3/4 c sugar
200 ml cognac (small bottle)

In a saucepan put the Nutella, cream, milk and sugar. Heat on medium, stirring, until everything is dissolved and blended. Heat to a simmer but DO NOT BOIL. Keep at a simmer for 15 minutes, stirring every minute or two.

What do you do for 15 minutes while you stir every minute? Go ahead and wash your bottles with super hot water, inside and out. Set them upside down to dry. If the bottles got really hot while you waged they'll dry pretty quickly. And where did I get those cute bottles? Well, I'm kinda cheap. I found these bottles in four or five places for $3-5 each. Then I found them at the grocery store filled with French orange soda, on sale for $2. Nice. Make sure and get the ones with the rubber gaskets. Wash really well.

Ok so now you've tortured yourself for 15 minutes and been able to resist licking that spoon as you stir...right?

Take off heat and let it cool completely. It'll take a bit. You can always set it in a bowl of cold water. Don't put it in the fridge though. Keep stirring it now and then. You don't want that skin forming. I've been told by my daughter that some people actually like to eat that skin. Let's just pretend she didn't say that.

Add the cognac and stir to blend. Using a funnel, pour in the bottles and refrigerate for 3 days. You can also give it now and attach a tag with curing instructions if you like. It needs to stay in the fridge though. Serve it cold too. Such a nice touch to offer after dinner and with dessert. Or instead of dessert! Place a liqueur glass on a little plate with a couple of pirouline cookies! It'll last up to 4 months. I think. Ours was gone by then. Another mystery to solve. Guess I'll have to make more to find out!