Recipe: Phoenicia Diner Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie with Ritz Cracker Crust

CHOCOLATE-PEANUT BUTTER PIE WITH RITZ CRACKER CRUST
"This salty-sweet, decadent pie is a hybrid of old-school diner classics - chocolate chess pie and peanut butter pie - and it has developed a devoted following. The mousse, which spotlights the high-quality local chocolate from our neighbors at Fruition Chocolate, is rich but not too dense, and the smooth filling is offset by the slightly salty, crumbly-crunchy Ritz cracker crust that Sara suggested when Chef Chris was first playing around with this recipe.


"Any smooth peanut butter will do, but we like Peter Pan. Chris grew up on it and has had a soft spot for it ever since. Natural peanut butters will lower the sugar content here, but the texture won't come out as smooth and light. We use bar chocolate for this recipe, but if you're using chocolate chips, you'll need approximately 1/3 cups.

The two-step process of incorporating the cream into the chocolate is essential to achieve the light, fluffy texture of the mousse: the first, vigorous addition lightens the chocolate mixture, and the sec-ond, gentle folding utilizes the billowy texture of the whipped cream to give the mousse its essential lift."

FOR THE CRUST:
2 sleeves original Ritz crackers (about 30 crackers)
1 tablespoon plus 1 1/2 teaspoons dark brown sugar, packed
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
FOR THE MOUSSE:
8 ounces 65-70% high-quality dark chocolate, broken into small pieces (or 1 1/3 cups chocolate chips)
1 cup creamy peanut butter
2 cups heavy cream
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup roasted salted peanuts, chopped

Make the crust:
Place the crackers and brown sugar in a food processor and blitz until the crackers reach a fine, sandy consistency; you'll have about 1 packed cup. Slowly drizzle in the melted butter and process for another 15 seconds to evenly incorporate.

Spread the buttered crumbs evenly in an 9-inch pie plate and use your fingertips to press them firmly against the bottom and sides. Place the crust in the freezer, uncovered, for at least 1 hour to chill and set. (This can be done well in advance, but if leaving the crust untended for more than an hour or two, wrap in plastic or gently press tin foil over the top of the crust to keep it from taking on other flavors from the freezer.)

Make the mousse:
Put 2-inches of water into a saucepan or the bottom of a double boiler. Set over low heat and bring to a simmer. Place the chocolate in the top of the double boiler or in a medium metal bowl (make sure it completely covers the mouth of the saucepan, and that the bottom of the bowl doesn't touch the water), and melt the chocolate, stirring occasionally with a rubber spatula, until smooth. Add the peanut butter and mix thoroughly. Turn off the heat.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine the cream, granulated sugar, and vanilla and whip on medium-high until stiff peaks form when you pull up the whisk. (Go slowly after the cream begins to hold its shape, being careful not to overmix.) You're looking to be able to spike the cream like Sonic the Hedgehog's hair. (Alternatively, use hand beaters or, if you're feeling energetic, a whisk.)

Remove the bowl of chocolate and peanut butter mixture from the pot and add one-third of the whipped cream. Using a rubber spatula, stir vigorously to lighten the mix. Add the remaining whipped cream and gently fold it in until there are no white streaks running through and all the cream is evenly incorporated.

Assemble the pie:
Pour the mixture into the chilled crust and smooth around to the edges with the rubber spatula. Sprinkle the chopped peanuts over the pie. Place in the fridge to set for at least 1 hour before serving. (This pie keeps, tightly wrapped in the fridge, for up to 2 days.)

Makes one 9-inch pie
Used by permission to Recipelink.com from Clarkson Potter
Source: The Phoenicia Diner Cookbook: Dishes and Dispatches from the Catskill Mountains by Mike Cioffi, Chris Bradley, and Sara B. Franklin; photographs by Johnny Autry.