peanut butter mousse pie

When I think of pie, I think of summer.  Fruit, cups of tea, fragile maiden aunts with a rolling pin…There is something decidedly feminine about pie.  Never mind apple pie, which you shouldn’t even try to make until fall.

So if peach pie is summer, and apple pie is fall, then this pie is winter. There is nothing dainty about it.  In France, it’s name would start with Le.  This is a take no prisoners, get out your big girl pants kind of pie. Think of it like a giant peanut butter cup, but richer, creamier, with a thick layer of chocolate and pie crust. This was my contribution to Thanksgiving this year, and people groaned.( I admit, part of my passion for baking is the adulation).  You could seduce someone with this pie.  But only give them one piece, or don’t blame me if they fall asleep on you.

 

peanut butter mousse pie topped with chocolate ganache

ingredients

for the mousse:

• 6 oz. peanut butter chips
• 2 tbl. creamy peanut butter
• 1 3/4 c. heavy cream
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 2 tbl. confectioner’s sugar

for the ganache:

• 1/2 c. heavy cream
• 5 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped

for the crust:

• 1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
• 1 tbl. sugar
• 3/4 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into bits
• 1/4 cup cold vegetable shortening, cut into 4 pieces
• 1/8 (1 oz.) cup cold vodka
• 1/8 (1 oz.) cup cold water

First, make your pie dough.* Put your cut up butter, shortening, vodka and water in the freezer(separately) for a 5-10 minutes.  While it’s chilling, combine 3/4 cup of flour and salt in a food processor.  When shortening and butter are very firm but not frozen, add to flour mixture and process until all the flour is coated and you see small clumps. Scrape down the sides, and then add the remaining flour. Pulse 4 to 6 times until incorporated. Put dough into medium bowl, and sprinkle the vodka and water over it.  Use a spatula to fold the liquid in.  Stop when it is just combined.  Form into a ball, wrap in plastic, and flatten into a disc.  Chill until cold, but still workable, about 45 minutes. Now, preheat your oven to 350°.

When dough is ready, roll out on a well floured surface(flour your rolling pin, too) and place in a shallow pie plate.  Make sure it is firm against the sides.  Trim and decorate your edges. Line the inside of the shell with aluminum foil and fill with dried beans or pie weights.  Make sure to cover the edges.  Bake at 350° for 30 minutes.  Remove foil and weights and bake another 10-12 minutes until crust is golden brown. Take out of oven and cool on a wire rack.

To make peanut butter filling:

Combine peanut butters chips and 3/4 cup heavy cream in a glass bowl and heat over a double boiler until just melted, stirring occasionally.  Remove from heat, and whisk in the peanut butter and vanilla.  Let cool to lukewarm.

Meanwhile, in an electric mixer, whip remaining 1 cup heavy cream and sugar until soft peaks begin to form.  Fold into peanut butter mixture.  Pour into cooled pie crust, smooth the top and chill until firm, at least one hour.

To make the ganache:

Boil the heavy cream and remove from heat.  Add chopped chocolate to the cream and stir until smooth.  Let cool to room temperature, then pour on top of mousse and return to fridge to set, about 1/2 hour.

Take pie out the refrigerator 1/2 before serving or serve cold.

*You can use your own recipe here if you prefer.  But if you haven’t tried this ingenious recipe from Chris Kimball yet, give it a try.  It’s very easy to work with, and when baked, the vodka evaporates, leaving you with a buttery, flaky crust.