Peanut Butter Banana Cream Pie

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening
Robert Frost

Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.

My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound's the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely, dark, and deep.
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.


It's been two years since Eugene has seen snow. We were completely denied last year and have had a fairly warm winter so far this year (I shouldn't complain after what the east coast has been through). So when there was talk of snow coming in on my two days off I whipped out a few of my baking books and starting picking recipes to try. I can't imagine anything better than baking a delicious treat while it's snowing outside. Of course the snow didn't hit until last night after I completed my cream pie, but it's snowing right now and of course I have another recipe ready to go!

On Christmas my dad gave me the book Baked Explorations. The two authors, Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito, own a bakery in Brooklyn and take classic recipes that are often passed down from generation to generation and put their own creative spin on them. I adore the design of this book. The graphics and photos are styled in a sort of masculine Victorian design. Think steampunk without all of the fictional gadgets.

I decided on the recipe for Peanut Butter Banana Cream Pie. My husband is a peanut butter fiend, so this was perfect. Plan on making it earlier in the day so it has time to chill and can be served in the evening. I couldn't find chocolate-covered peanuts, so Whoppers were a delicious replacement. My hubby fell asleep on the sofa while I was finishing this up, so he hasn't tried it yet. There was no way I was going to wait until today, so I tried a slice last night: delicious! It is so worth the time it takes to prepare. The light peanut butter cream that goes on top is to die for. Try it, you'll see what I mean!


Peanut Butter Banana Cream Pie
Yield: One 9-inch Pie

For the Vanilla Wafer Crust:
6 oz. vanilla wafer cookies
6 Tbsp (3/4 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 Tbsp sugar

For the Banana Pudding Filling:
1/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 Tbsp cornstarch
1/8 tsp salt
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup whole milk
2 large egg yolks
1 vanilla bean (I used 1 tsp extract)
1 Tbsp unsalted butter
3 ripe bananas, peeled
2 Tbsp orange juice

For the Peanut Butter Topping:
3 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/3 cup creamy peanut butter (not old-fashioned or freshly ground)
2/3 cup heavy cream, chilled

Assembly:
1 ripe banana, peeled (optional)
1 Tbsp orange juice (optional)
Chocolate covered peanuts/ Whopper candies (optional)

Preheat oven to 350-degrees with the rack in the middle.

Make the crust:
Place the vanilla wafer cookies, butter, and sugar in a food processor. Pulse in short bursts until the mixture resembles a moist crumb. Turn the mixture out into your pie plate and press it into the bottom and up the sides. Using the back of a large spoon will help make it even.


Bake the crust until it is golden brown, 10-12 min. If it begins to puff while baking, use the back of the spoon to press it gently down. Allow it to completely cool.


Make the banana pudding filling:
In a medium saucepan, whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Slowly, while whisking continuously, stream in the cream, then the milk. Add the egg yolks. Cut the vanilla bean in half lengthwise and, using the tip of the knife or a small teaspoon, scrape the seeds into the saucepan (or add 1 tsp vanilla extract). Whisk until the mixture is combined. Discard the bean.


Turn the heat to medium-high and, whisking occasionally, bring the mixture to a boil, about 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat, add the butter, and stir vigorously for about 2 minutes to release excess heat. Spread the warm pudding over the cooled crust and chill the pie until the filling is completely cool, about 1 hour.


After the filling has chilled, thinly slice the bananas on a diagonal. Toss the slices in the orange juice. Transfer the banana slices to a paper towel and pat them dry. Arrange them in a single layer over the pudding to cover it completely. Return the pie to the refrigerator while making the peanut butter topping.


Make the peanut butter topping:
In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and confectioners' sugar until smooth. Add the vanilla and peanut butter, and beat until just combined.


In a clean bowl of a standing mixer (I transferred the peanut butter mix to a bowl and cleaned this one to use again), use the mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and whip the cream until soft peaks form. Remove the bowl from the mixer and, with a rubber spatula, gently fold the whipped cream into the peanut butter mixture until the topping is uniform in color. Spread the peanut butter layer evenly over the bananas on the pie. Chill for at least 3 hours or as long as 8 hours.


To assemble: Optional: Just before serving, thinly slice the banana on a diagonal and toss it with the orange juice. Arrange the banana slices around the top edge of the pie, then arrange chocolate-covered peanuts (or Whoppers) around the edges of the banana slices, if desired. Serve immediately.


The pie tastes best if eaten within 24 hours. On the rare occasion that you have leftovers, wrap the pie in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for up to 3 days.

Sausage Mushroom Breakfast Strata

A few months back my dad gave me a copy of The America's Test Kitchen TV Show Cookbook with every recipe they covered on their show from 2001-2010. I receive their Cook's Country magazine and know that when it comes to testing recipes, this crew doesn't mess around! If a tricky recipe takes weeks to perfect, so be it! The testers for the magazine discuss the process of how they work on each recipe until they have the desired end result. In the ATK cookbook, each recipe begins with an excerpt on "Why This Recipe Works". The team explains how each particular recipe is THE one you want to make. After cooking around 20 different recipes from this book, I'm a believer. Going into each recipe, I know it's been thoroughly tested and will have great results.

While flipping through the back pages I hit the "Come for Brunch" section and immediately halted when I saw the photo of their breakfast strata. Baked slices of bread coated with spinach, egg and cheesy goodness? Yes please! I began with the basic recipe that uses layers of toasted bread, spinach and Gruyere. I assembled the dish the night before, allowing the egg-milk mixture to be fully absorbed by the bread. Then the next morning all I had to do was pop it into the pre-heated oven. Easier than pouring a bowl of cereal! Let me tell you, this dish was phenomenal. The layers all bake together into the perfect breakfast dish and gets your day off to a great start!

When I was in Portland last week my parents and I decided that this would make a great "Breakfast for Dinner". The ATK book has a variation of the basic recipe that includes breakfast sausage and mushrooms instead of spinach and Monterey Jack in place of the Gruyere. We added some spinach into the sausage-mushroom mix anyways. The result was perfect! The sausage gives the dish a warm hint of flavor that blends perfectly with the cheese and mushrooms. This is the ideal recipe to make when you know you'll have morning guests. Bring on the brunch!

Breakfast Strata with Sausage, Mushrooms, and Monterey Jack

The Complete America's Test Kitchen TV Show Cookbook

*To double the recipe, use a 13 by 9-inch baking dish and increase the baking time to 1 hour and 20 minutes.

8-10 (1/2-inch-thick) slices supermarket French or Italian bread

3 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
8 oz. bulk breakfast sausage, crumbled

3 medium shallots, minced (6 Tbsp)

8 oz. white mushrooms, wiped clean and quartered (I sliced)
Handful of fresh spinach leaves (or box of frozen spinach, thawed and moisture squeezed out), chopped

Table salt and ground black pepper

1/2 Cup dry white wine

6 oz. Monterey Jack cheese, shredded (1 1/2 Cups)

6 large eggs

1 3/4 Cups half-and-half

2 Tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves

1. Heat the oven to 225-degrees and place the rack in the center position. Arrange the bread in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake until dry and crisp, about 40 minutes, turning slices over halfway through (Alternatively, leave slices out overnight to dry). Spread butter evenly over one side of each bread slice, using 2 tablespoons of the butter.

2. Fry the sausage in a medium nonstick skillet over medium heat, breaking the sausage apart with a wooden spoon, until it loses its raw color and begins to brown, about 4 minutes; add the shallots and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about 3 minutes. Add mushrooms to the skillet and cook until they no longer release liquid, about 4 minutes (if using spinach, add during last minute of cooking); transfer to a medium bowl and season with salt and pepper to taste. Add the wine to the skillet, increase the heat to medium-high, and simmer until reduced to 1/4 cup, 2 to 3 minutes; set aside.

3. Butter an 8-inch square baking dish with the remaining butter; arrange half of the bread slices, buttered-side up, in a single layer in the dish. Sprinkle half of the sausage-mushroom mixture, then 1/2 cup of the shredded Monterey Jack, evenly over the bread slices. Arrange the remaining bread slices in a single layer over the cheese; sprinkle the remaining sausage-mushroom mixture and a 1/2 cup more Monterey Jack evenly over the bread. Whisk the eggs in a medium bowl until combined; whisk in the reduced wine, half-and-half, 1 teaspoon salt, the fresh parsley, and a pinch of pepper. Pour the egg mixture evenly over the bread layers.

4. Wrap the strata tightly with plastic wrap, pressing the wrap against the surface of the strata. Weigh the strata down (I used heavy containers of leftovers that were already in the fridge), and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours.

5. Remove the dish from the refrigerator and let stand at room temp for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, adjust an over rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 325 degrees. Uncover the strata and sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup Monterey Jack evenly over the surface; bake until both edges and center are puffed and the edges have pulled away slightly from the sides of the dish, 50 to 55 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes and serve.