Martha’s desserts with a twist: Peanut butter tarts, more

Bring cherries, 1 cup sugar, the water and salt to a boil in a large saucepan. Reduce heat; simmer until liquid is reduced by about half, 12 to 15 minutes. Pour through a fine sieve into a bowl, pressing very firmly on solids to release as much juice as possible (you should have 4 cups). Refrigerate until cooled completely, about 1 hour.

Place 1 1/2 cups cherry liquid in a medium saucepan. Sprinkle 4 1/2 teaspoons gelatin over liquid and let soften, about 8 minutes. Heat mixture over medium heat until gelatin dissolves completely and mixture is about to simmer, about 4 minutes (do not let boil). Turn off heat, and gradually stir in remaining 2 1/2 cups cherry liquid; pour cherry-gelatin mixture back into bowl. Place bowl in a larger bowl of ice water and refrigerate until softly set, about 1 1/2 hours, stirring once halfway through with a rubber spatula.

Meanwhile, place 2 tablespoons cream, the remaining sugar and the vanilla in a small saucepan. Sprinkle with remaining gelatin and let soften, about 8 minutes. Heat mixture over medium heat until gelatin dissolves and mixture is about to simmer, about 2 minutes (do not let boil). Whisk in remaining cream until smooth. Transfer to a small bowl, and place bowl in a larger bowl of ice water. Refrigerate until thickened, about 15 minutes. (Both mixtures should be approximately the same consistency.)

Whisk cream mixture and strain through a fine sieve. Spoon cream mixture into a small disposable pastry bag and snip off tip. Whisk gelee until thick but pourable. Divide gelee among 6 bowls and shake to settle. Working with 1 gelee at a time, pipe 6 to 8 cream dots of varying sizes onto top, then draw a wooden skewer through them to create a swirled pattern.

Refrigerate gelees until just set, at least 1 hour and up to 6 hours.

Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Trace a 10-inch circle on each of 2 pieces of parchment. Turn over parchment, and place each on a baking sheet. Coat parchment with cooking spray. Place egg whites and sugar in a heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water. Stir until sugar dissolves and mixture is warm, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Add fine salt and cream of tartar, and beat with a mixer on high speed until stiff, glossy peaks form and meringue is almost cool, about 8 minutes.

Using the traced circles as a guide, gently mound slightly more than half the meringue on 1 piece of parchment and the remainder on the other. Drizzle 1/2 teaspoon coffee extract over the smaller mound and spread meringue into a flat disk, leaving the edge slightly swoopy and the top smooth. Spread out remaining mound into a slightly thicker disk, using a swirling motion, until it is about 1 1/2 inches away from edge of circle. Drizzle remaining coffee extract over second disk, and swirl in extract with a spoon, leaving some of it very distinct and spreading meringue to edge of circle. Bake meringues until crisp all the way through, about 4 hours. Remove from oven, and let cool completely, about 1 hour.

Raise oven temperature to 325 degrees. Toss together almonds and 1 teaspoon sea salt on a baking sheet. Bake, stirring occasionally, until nuts are deep golden brown, about 18 minutes. Let cool completely. Coarsely grind coffee beans in a spice grinder.

Beat ice cream with a mixer on medium-low speed until slightly softened and mostly smooth, about 30 seconds. Add almonds and ground coffee, and beat until just incorporated. Spread ice cream mixture on flat meringue; sprinkle with remaining sea salt. Top with swirled thicker meringue. Freeze at least 20 minutes or (wrapped in plastic wrap) up to 6 hours. Let sit at room temperature 5 minutes. Cut into wedges and serve.

Make the crust:

Whisk flour, salt and cocoa powder. Beat butter and sugar with a mixer on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add egg and vanilla, and beat until combined, scraping down sides of bowl. Reduce speed to low, and gradually beat in flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with cream and beginning and ending with flour mixture. Shape dough into a rectangle, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour and up to 2 days. Let stand at room temperature 5 minutes before rolling.

Roll out dough into a 7-by-16-inch rectangle on a floured surface. Fit into a 4 1/2-by-14-inch rectangular tart ring (fantes.com) on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Push dough into corners of ring to create sharp edges; trim so that dough is flush with top of ring. Prick dough all over with a fork. Freeze until firm, about 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line crust with parchment, pressing so that it is flush with dough, especially in corners. Fill with pie weights or dried beans; bake until edges are set, about 20 minutes. Remove weights and parchment; bake until cooked through, about 10 minutes. Let cool completely, about 30 minutes.

Make the brittle:

Bring sugar, butter, corn syrup and water to a boil in a small saucepan over high heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture begins to brown. Reduce heat to medium, and cook until golden brown. Stir in baking soda, salt and peanuts until well-combined (mixture should be the color of peanut butter). Immediately pour onto a nonstick baking mat, spreading out as thinly as possible with a heatproof spatula or wooden spoon. Let cool completely, about 30 minutes. Finely chop half the brittle with a heavy knife to yield 1/2 cup. Reserve remainder for another use.

Make the filling:

Heat peanut butter in a microwave until fluid, about 30 seconds. Pour 1/2 cup into crust, and top with chopped brittle, pressing it into peanut butter. Freeze tart until peanut butter is firm, about 10 minutes. For ganache, bring cream to a boil; pour over chocolate in a small bowl. Add salt; let sit 8 minutes.

Meanwhile, fill a disposable pastry bag with remaining fluid peanut butter (if peanut butter has thickened, microwave it 10 seconds), and snip off end. Whisk ganache until smooth, and immediately pour into tart, smoothing with a mini offset spatula if necessary. Pipe peanut butter in continuous diagonal zigzag lines down length of tart. Draw a wooden skewer perpendicularly through peanut butter lines in a zigzag motion down length of tart. Then draw skewer in a continuous sideways loop pattern down length of tart to create swirls.

Refrigerate tart until set, at least 1 hour and up to 8 hours. Cut into wedges, and serve.

Make the cake:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Coat an 11 1/2-by-17-inch rimmed baking sheet (1/2 inch deep) with cooking spray and line with parchment. Coat parchment with spray, and dust with flour, tapping out excess. Bring a pot of water to a simmer. Meanwhile, pulse hazelnuts, flour and salt in a food processor until nuts are finely chopped, about 1 minute. Sift flour mixture, discarding any pieces of nuts in sieve.

Whisk together eggs, yolks and granulated sugar in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water, until sugar dissolves and mixture is warm, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Beat with a mixer on medium speed 2 minutes. Raise speed to high, and beat until pale and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Sprinkle flour mixture on egg mixture in 3 additions, folding with a rubber spatula and drizzling in butter toward end of last addition. Spread batter in pan and bake until top is golden, 7 to 8 minutes.

Loosen cake from pan with a paring knife. Dust a clean kitchen towel with confectioners' sugar and invert cake onto towel. Peel off parchment. Starting from a short side, tightly roll up cake in towel. Let cool completely, about 1 1/2 hours.

Make the filling:

Unroll cake and spread with jam, leaving a 1/4-inch border on all sides. Beat cream with liqueur until medium peaks form. Spread cream over jam, leaving a 1-inch border on all sides. Starting from a short side, roll up cake as tightly as possible. Place cake, seam side down, on a baking sheet or in a platter. Refrigerate at least 1 hour and up to 4 hours. Dust with confectioners' sugar, slice, and serve.