Peanut Butter Pastry

Sometimes the expression "easy as pie" is a bit of a stretch. I've made some pie recipes which were nothing short of complicated and made an absolute mess of my kitchen while there too!

I'm very happy to say that the recipe for this super yum crust really is "easy as pie". It's pretty much effortless, super forgiving and it's texture is strong enough to hold any filling you like. The other super beaut thing about this crust is that it can be made into a larger size family pie, smaller tarts and even into two galettes! 

The recipe below is just for the crust however if you'd like to make the exact banoffee pie I created in the photo, you will need to whip 300mL thickened cream with a sifted tablespoon of icing sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste until soft peaks form. Then combine the whipped cream with 3 small sliced bananas to make the filling. Once dolloped into the crust, slice another banana and randomly place the slices about the pie. You can finish the pie by topping it with shavings of dark chocolate and salted peanuts.

Alternatively you can top with pie with salted peanuts and a butterscotch sauce. To make my super easy butterscotch sauce combine 175mL thickened cream, 3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar, 50g unsalted butter and a teaspoon of vanilla bean paste in a small saucepan. Stir until it comes to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring every now and then. Allow to cool before drizzling a little over the pie and then over each wedge as you serve it up!

The reaction when I served this up was just priceless! There was complete silence only broken up by the occasional oooh or yuuuummm...both reactions I'll totally accept as good ones!

If you're a fan of peanut butter or even just a good pie, I hope you give this a go and as always don't forget to tag me on your socials so I can see your wonderful creations!

Take care,

H xx

Makes: one family size pie or 2 galettes or 12 individual tarts
Preparation time: 15 minutes, plus refrigeration time
Cooking time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:
2 ½ cups plain (all-purpose) flour
1 tablespoon caster sugar
½ teaspoon sea salt flakes
175g unsalted butter, straight from fridge, cubed
½ cup crunchy peanut butter
1 tablespoon ouzo (or other clear liqueur or apple cider vinegar)
¼ cup water

Instructions:

1. Place the flour, sugar and salt in the bowl of your food processor and pulse a couple of times to mix.
2. Add the butter, peanut butter and ouzo and pulse until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Drizzle the water in whilst pulsing. Keep pulsing until the mixture starts to come together. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and form it into a disc to make for easier rolling later on. Cover in plastic wrap and rest in the fridge for at least an hour or up to 24 hours. If you are making galettes or individual tarts, half the disc and then form each half into a disc. Cover in wrap and pop in the fridge as previously advised.
3. Preheat the oven to 200C.
4. Remove the dough from the fridge and allow to warm up for a few minutes. Roll out on a lightly floured surface to a 12-inch circle if you are making a 9-inch deep dish pie (as per the banoffee pie shown). Gently press the dough into the tin taking care not to stretch it out as you go. Trim to the top of the dish and then pop back in the fridge for half an hour to give it the best chance of keeping its shape while baking.
5. Line the crust with a large piece of baking paper that has been crushed and then straightened again. Fill the pie with pie weights or dried beans and pop in the oven to bake for 15 minutes. Remove the baking paper and weights, prick the bottom of the crust with a fork 6-7 times and then place back in the oven to bake for another 15 minutes until lovely and golden.
6. Cool completely in the tin before filling as you like.

 

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