Peanut Butter, Chocolate and Banana – Is there a better combination? I didn’t think so. I  had forgotten about some bananas on the counter and by the time I remembered where I’d stashed them, they were starting to turn to the dark side. Personally, I enjoy a banana that’s starting to turn a little brown, but these little yellow gaffers were too far gone for even me to enjoy. I pondered for a good 6 hours about what I would transform them into when my sister actually put in the request:  Banana Cream Pie.

My uncle was up from Calgary visiting and I felt the need to make something that wasn’t just plain ‘ol banana cream pie. I scoured the internet for hours and then I stumbled upon Joy the Baker’s wonderful Peanut Butter Banana Cream Pie and I was inspired! Much like Kristie, I eat peanut butter by the spoonful and thought that there could be nothing more delightful than a banana cream pie with peanut butter! This turned out delightful. The banana custard was light and fluffly and so smooth. While the taste of peanut butter was just strong enough to not over power the chocolate or banana. Enjoy!

Chocolate, Peanut Butter, Banana Cream Pie

makes one 10-inch pie

Crust 2  cups graham cracker crumbs 4 tablespoons sugar 3/4 cup margarine or butter, melted

Chocolate Layer 4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, melted

Peanut butter layer 1 cup of smooth peanut butter

Banana filling 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 crust: Stir the graham cracker crumbs, sugar and melted margarine together in a medium bowl until all of the dry ingredients are uniformly moist. Pour the crumbs into the pie plate and pat the crumbs are  Turn the ingredients into a 9-inch pie pan and pat with your fingers to create an even layer of crumbs of 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 350ºF/250ºC.  Bake for 10-12 minutes. Set aside to cool.

For chocolate layer: Set up a double boiler and bring water to boil, then reduce to a simmer. Place 4 oz. of chocolate into the double boiler, stirring with a spatula often. Once the chocolate is melted, pour into the baked graham cracker crust and spread with spatula. Place into the refrigerator (or freezer) to cool and harden.

For peanut butter layer: Once the chocolate is harden, spread the peanut butter over the chocolate.

For 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 slowly, whisking constantly. On medium-low heat, pour sugar and egg mixture into saucepan with hot milk, and cook, whisking constantly, until mixture begins to bubble and is very thick. This took 3 minutes for me, however, the recipe recommends 6 minutes.  Watch carefully so as not to burn it and whisk continuously. Cornstarch will cause it to thicken fairly quickly.

Once the mixture is thick, pour it  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.