Peanut Butter Banana Cream Pie with Chocolate Ganache

I did it again. The last time my friend Sabra was over for a party, I completely forgot about her serious peanut allergy and made a Banana Cream Pie with a Peanut Crust. Then last Saturday, when she and some other pals were coming over for a Southern Friends' Thanksgiving (or Friends' Southern Thanksgiving?) I found myself in the kitchen, mindlessly whipping up what is essentially a variation of the very same pie--when I suddenly remembered. Ack! So stupid of me.

I went ahead and finished making the dessert-- a Peanut Butter Banana Cream Pie from Nancie McDermott, stowed it in the mini fridge, then promptly washed all of the dishes I'd used and sterilized the counters with bleach. I had half of a Drunken Pumpkin Bourbon Pie leftover from Thanksgiving, and had already made this Cranberry-Lime Galette,  so we were fine on the dessert front even without the deadly-to-some-but-delicious peanut butter 'n' banana pie. It stayed in the fridge until the coast was clear on Sunday, and housemates and co-workers eventually enjoyed the benefit of my poor memory.

As I said, this Peanut Butter Banana Cream Pie with Chocolate Ganache is a sister (a paternal twin, even?) to the other Elvis sandwich-themed Banana Cream Pie with a Peanut Crust and Salty Bourbon Caramel that I made last Spring. Nancie McDermott's version employs a peanut butter cream instead of the vanilla cream in Ashley Christensen's. Though Nancie's recipe calls for a pastry crust, I opted for graham cracker (though pastry would be tasty), and since I had some leftover chocolate ganache from Thanskgiving baking, I swapped that in for her fudge sauce. That addition sounds wonderfully decadadent, though, but if you want the recipe, I guess you'll just have to buy her cookbook (and you should!).

Peanut Butter Banana Cream Pie with Chocolate Ganache

Adapted From Nancie McDermott's Southern Pies

Ingredients

For crust:

1 1/2 c. graham cracker crumbs

5 Tblsp. unsalted butter

1 Tblsp. sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

For filling:

12 oz. cream cheese, softened

3/4 c. confectioner's sugar

3/4 c. creamy peanut butter

2 Tblsp. whole milk

1/3 c. (2 oz.) roasted unsalted peanuts, finely chopped

2 c. heavy whipping cream

3 bananas, sliced into 1/4-1/2 in. slices

1/4 c. granulated sugar

For chocolate ganache:

3.5 oz. 60-70% dark chocolate (unsweetened), broken into pieces
1/2 c. sugar

scant 1/2 c. heavy cream 1 tsp. sea salt
Directions

For crust:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Pour graham cracker crumbs in a bowl and add melted butter, sugar, and salt until well mixed. 

2. Pat the buttery crumbs into a 9-inch pie pan, pressing mixture into the bottom and sides to form a pie crust. Place in oven and bake until crust is lightly browned, about 10-12 minutes. Place on a cooling rack and let cool to room temperature before adding the filling.

For filling:

1. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine cream cheese, confectioner's sugar, and peanut butter, beating until fluffy. Add the milk and the peanuts and mix well until incorporated.

2. In another bowl, using an electric mixer if desired, beat whipping cream until it becomes thick and holds medium-stiff peaks. Gently fold the whipped cream into the peanut butter mixture until well combined.

3. Add a layer of sliced bananas (about 1 1/2 banans) to the bottom of the pie crust and pour the filling on top. Add the remaining bananas on top of the filling, around the edge of the pie. Cover pie and refrigerate at least 2 hours before adding the chocolate ganache.

For chocolate ganache:

1. Put chocolate, sugar, heavy cream, and salt into the top of a double boiler. Put water in the bottom of the boiler and place on medium heat until filling is melted, glossy, and thick.

2. Drizzle the ganache over the chilled pie and place in the fridge for at least 1 hour. Serve pie while still slightly chilled. Enjoy! (Unless you have a peanut allergy. Then please enjoy something else!)

Related recipe:

Banana Cream Pie with Peanut Crust and Salty Bourbon Caramel

5th Annual Portland Thanksgiving in March!

So I know it's March and 81 degrees here in D.C., but before we slip too far into warm weather and the end of storage crop season, I first want to show you some pics and share some recipes from last year's Thanksgiving! There was a bit of a stall in getting the photos, but it was well worth the wait, as they were taken by my talented photographer friend Maria (MAV) of 3191 and More & Co.

Though I was not able to make it to Maine for the 2010 Thanksgiving, last year marked my 5th year spending Turkey Day with the Portland crew. It's always the best of times, with music playing, record shopping, and food making, and this year my friend Jamie (of Nothing-in-the-House plate lickers club fame), was in on the fun.

I assembled the crust in Maria's beautiful kitchen on Wednesday, while she prepped the cookie tray. I love being in the kitchen with and working alongside this lady (remember the apple galette I made last time I was visiting?). On Thursday morning, after a midnight trip to the 24-hour L.L. Bean headquarters the night before, Jamie and I made the pies. We settled on a drunken pumpkin bourbon pie with marscapone cream (adapted from Tartlette) and a Maine blueberry-cranberry pie (with frozen Maine blueberries Maria had picked in the summer, and fresh Maine cranberries). The recipe for the drunken pumpkin bourbon pie is as follows.

Drunken Pumpkin Bourbon Pie with Mascarpone Cream
Adapted from Tartlette 

Ingredients for pie:
Nothing-in-the-House pie crust recipe, halved
2 c. canned pumpkin purée (for why I often use canned pumpkin instead of fresh, read here)
3 eggs
1/2 c. light brown sugar
1 c. heavy cream
2 Tblsp. bourbon
1 Tblsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. sea salt
2 Tbslp. molasses
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ginger
1/4 tsp. cloves
1/4 tsp. nutmeg

Ingredients for mascarpone cream:
4 oz. marscapone
1/4 c. honey
1/2 cup heavy cream, whipped until soft peaks form
Roasted pumpkin seeds (for garnish, optional)

Directions for pie:
1. Prepare Nothing-in-the-House pie crust. Chill dough for at least one hour. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Then roll out single crust and fit into a greased and floured 9-in. pie pan. Flute crust decoratively (I tried out a braid and I liked it!).
2. Place pumpkin purée in a large bowl. Add eggs and brown sugar and mix with a Kitchen Aid or handheld mixer. Add remaining ingredients and blend until mixture if fully combined and fluffy. Pour filling into pie crust and place in oven. Bake for 15 minutes at 375, then reduce heat to 325 and bake for 45 minutes or until filling only slightly wiggles in the center when nudged. Let cool and keep at room temperature or chill in the refrigerator if making ahead.

Directions for mascarpone cream:
1. In a medium bowl mix (by hand or with a mixer) together mascarpone and honey. Gently fold in whipped cream. Scoop on top of baked and cooled pie and garnish with roasted pumpkin seeds! Enjoy! 

Dang, this is a great pumpkin pie (you know it's good when it's got molasses, brown sugar AND bourbon!) with a good amount of spice that adds flavor without being too overbearing. I don't think I'll ever make another pumpkin version. For the Maine blueberry-cranberry pie, I essentially followed this recipe, but with the berries instead. 'Twas also quite tasty, and with the tartness of the cranberries, similar to a blueberry-rhubarb pie (one of my favorites), yet seasonally and regionally appropriate.

After dinner and some music playing, we set up our dessert buffet, which featured a cookie tray by Maria, a walnut torte by Robs and Tals, two varieties of chocolate-pecan pie, and various other treats. Afterwards we retired to the living room for more song-singing, joke telling, and an awe-inspiring dance performance by 3-year old Miles. You can see and read more about our Thanksgiving via MAV's blog 3191.

Big thanks to MAV, CDR, RTS, Robert, Talya and Jamie for being awesome hosts and all-around rad people. Looking forward to my 6th Portland Thanksgiving, which is now only 8 months away!