Pie, pie, pie, pie, pie

What better than a sinful dessert to beat my blog boredom?

This recipe comes from an old Farm Journal cookbook that I got from my grandma when she moved from a tiny town in northern (very northern, like walk-to-Idaho northern) Utah to a retirement community in California in 1995 or so. My grandma says if you ever see a Farm Journal cookbook, buy it. I think I've said that before on this blog. I still agree.

Peanut Butter Chiffon Pie
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
1 c cold water, divided
3 egg yolks, well beaten
1/2 c brown sugar (my change)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 c peanut butter (my current favorite: Maranatha organic chunky)
1 tsp vanilla (my change -- 1/2 tsp is never enough)
3 egg whites, unbeaten
1 9" pie crust (recipe calls for crumb but I used pastry)
whipping cream
chocolate pieces
peanut halves

Soften gelatin in 1/4 c water.

Combine yolks, 1/4 c brown sugar, 1/4 c water and salt in top of double boiler. Blend. Add gelatin mixture.

Place over boiling water. Whisk vigorously 5 minutes until thick and foamy.

Mix peanut butter with remaining water, then stir into egg yolk mixture. Stir in vanilla; chill.

Beat egg whites until foamy; add remaining sugar gradually, beating until stiff peaks form. Fold in peanut butter mixture. Turn into crust. Chill until firm.

Serve with whipped cream, chocolate chips and peanut halves.

I served the peanuts and chocolate chips scattered over the cream in a haphazard, 21st-century kind of way. Farm Journal suggests creating daisies with chocolate chip centers and peanut petals. Which is absolutely charming in a 1950s kind of way. If I had a diner style kitchen with formica and chrome everywhere, I'd do it.

I make desserts, I just realized, because it's the only time I can put in a lot of effort on something and actually get appreciation from my kids. They're not so much into the other funky stuff I like to play with, like the white bean and basil pizzas from last night. But that's a recipe for another day.