Peanut Butter & Mocha Porter Pie

This week in the world of “Beer to Table” it was all about a dessert recipe I came across in “The Gourmet’s Guide to Cooking with Beer” by Alison Boteler. Just reading the title “Peanut Butter and Porter Pie” had my mouth-watering, and I couldn’t wait to test the recipe.

To add a coffee flavor to the pie I used a mocha porter instead of a regular porter, as called for in the original recipe. Unfortunately Harris Teeter didn’t carry any mocha porter’s made by local breweries. Instead I used Kona’s Pipeline, a mocha porter made with 100% Hawaiian Kona coffee.

The pie was light and fluffy with the peanut butter and coffee coming through in each bite.  I love the taste of the homemade peanut butter graham cracker crust but this recipe is easily adapted to use a pre-made crust (see below).

The recipe is simple and easy to whip together.  The only time-consuming and agonizing part is waiting for it to freeze.

I loved this pie so much that in the week since I made my first one, I’ve made 3 more. For those that tried those pies, thanks for the feedback.

PEANUT BUTTER & MOCHA PORTER PIE

1 package (8 oz) cream cheese

1/2 cup brown sugar, packed

2/3 cup peanut butter

1/4 cup half-and-half

1/3 cup mocha porter

1 tub frozen whipped topping, thawed

1/2 cup roasted, unsalted peanuts, chopped

PEANUT BUTTER GRAHAM CRACKER CRUST

3 tablespoons sugar

1 1/2 cups crushed graham crackers

1/4 cup butter

1/4 cup peanut butter

In a bowl, beat together cream cheese, brown sugar, and peanut butter with an electric mixer until blended. Slowly blend in half-and-half and mocha porter. Beat until smooth. Fold in whipped topping. Spoon into prepared crust. Sprinkle with peanuts and freeze until firm

For crust: pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Combine sugar, and graham cracker crumbs in a mixing bowl. In a small saucepan, melt butter and peanut butter over low heat. Stir into graham cracker crumbs. Press mixture into the bottom and sides of a 9-inch pie plate. Bake for 8 minutes.

PRE-MADE CRUST VARIATION

This recipe makes enough to fill two 6-oz prepared graham cracker pie shells. To keep the peanut butter flavor in the crust, melt butter and peanut butter then pour into pre-made crust, brushing sides to coat. Bake as above.

ALTERNATE CRUSTS: Nilla Wafers, Chocolate Wafers, or anything else you feel like experimenting with.

Beer Bread

When I began my journey into the world of beer and food I decided to start with a simple recipe for beer bread. From what I read, beer bread is light and fluffy with a crispy crust. Depending on the beer you use, the taste and aroma of the bread will differ for each loaf.  For my first round of testing I made two loaves, one using Highland Gaelic Ale (Asheville) and the other using Sweetwater 420 (Atlanta). Although not a NC beer it is currently one of my favorite’s.

Ingredients

3 cups flour

1 tbs baking powder

1 tsp salt

1/2 cup sugar

1 (12 oz) NC beer of choice.  This is where experimenting with different styles of beer is fun.  Be sure to use a carbonated beer.

3 tbs melted butter

Pre-heat oven to 375

Mix dry ingredients

Add beer and thoroughly mix together

Pour into greased loaf pan

Bake for 45 minutes

Brush melted butter on bread top for the last 10 minutes of baking

Garlic & Herb: Add 1 teaspoon dried rosemary, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, 1 teaspoon dried thyme, and 2 minced garlic cloves (or 1 teaspoon garlic flakes) to the basic mix. For fresh herbs, use 1 chopped Tablespoon of each.

I loved this bread! It turned out exactly as I wanted…well maybe a tad denser than expected, but the flavor of beer definitely came through.  I admit, the Highland Gaelic Ale bread was my favorite, but when I gave it a taste test among friends it was a toss-up and we had a tie.

I served this bread with some New Moon (baby brie) from Chapel Hill Creamery I picked up from the Durham Farmers Market.

Looking for a great gift? Why not give that someone a Beer Bread Kit: nestle the beer bread mix and a bottle of your favorite NC beer in a nice pan and Voila!

I hope you try this recipe and let me know how it turns out.

Cheers!