PEANUT BUTTER BANANA CREAM PIE

PEANUT BUTTER BANANA CREAM PIE image

Number Of Ingredients 21

Ingredients

For the Crust:
1 3/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
3 tablespoons sugar
pinch of salt
1/2 stick (4 Tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted
For the Chocolate Layer:
2 ounces of dark chocolate, melted over a double boiler
For the Peanut Butter Layer:
3/4 cup homemade peanut butter, or the jarred stuff, chunky or smooth as you see fit
For the Banana Layer:
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 large egg yolks
2 cups whole milk
2 Tablespoons cold unsalted butter
3 ripe bananas, thinly sliced
For the Whipped Cream Layer:
1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
2 teaspoons powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Steps:

To make the crust, stir the graham cracker crumbs, sugar and salt together in a medium bowl. Pour in melted butter and stir until all of the dry ingredients are uniformly moist. Turn the ingredients into a 9-inch pie pan and pat with your fingers to create a layer of crumbs on the bottom and up the sides of the pie pan. Put the pan in the freezer while you preheat the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Bake crust for 10-12 minutes. Remove from oven and set crust aside to cool. For the chocolate layer, melt the chocolate in a double boiler. Once cooled, pour into the baked graham cracker crust and spread around with a spatula. Place in the refrigerator to cool. Once the chocolate is cooled, spread the peanut butter over the melted and hardened chocolate. To prepare the banana filling, combine granulated sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a bowl. Add egg yolks, and whisk until smooth. Bring milk to a simmer in a saucepan over medium heat. Add 1/2 cup milk to yolk mixture in a slow, steady stream, whisking constantly. Pour mixture into pan with hot milk, and cook, whisking constantly, until mixture begins to bubble and is very thick, about 6 minutes. Make sure to keep an eye on this and whisk constantly over a low flame. The cornstarch will make the mixture thicken quickly. Pour milk mixture through a large-mesh sieve into a bowl. Add butter, and stir until melted. Fold in bananas. Pour into crust. Place plastic wrap directly on surface of filling to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate for 2 hours. Make the topping: Beat together cream, sugar, and vanilla until soft peaks form. Spread whipped cream over filling. Using a rubber spatula or the back of a spoon, shape topping into peaks. Make chocolate shavings: Carefully run a sharp knife along the back side of a dark chocolate bar towards yourself. Quickly sprinkle the shavings on the top of the pie.