Peanut Butter Cream Pie

Easter. Sugar, Resurrection Sunday is the biggest service of the year and the biggest cooking day of the year next to Christmas. Calvin preached and the choir sang every verse of every hymn and the church was full and people stood. The fellowship hall after service held three hundred plates. I cooked Saturday into Sunday morning. The lamb was lamb (I do not normally cook lamb but Easter is Easter). The mac and cheese, the greens, the rolls, the pies. The family ate at home Sunday evening — I sat down for the first time at six PM and Calvin laughed at me because I sat down so hard.

Calvin preached Sunday on David and Goliath. The church said amen. I talked to Mama at the stove. I told her the recipe was right. I told her the kitchen was holding. The cast iron skillet hummed.

I made mac and cheese this week, baby. Three cheeses — sharp cheddar, monterey jack, a little gruyere because I am fancy now — butter, milk, eggs, no measuring. Into the cast iron in the oven for thirty-five minutes until the crust browned. The crust is the whole point, sugar. The crust is what tells you it is done.

CJ called from Huntsville. The grandchildren — Caleb (1), Naomi — are well. Shanice sends her love.

Bernice was here, baby. In the smell of the chicken. In the hum at the stove.

My knees were bad this week. I sat between rounds at the stove. The volunteers tried to take the spoon. I would not let them. The spoon is not negotiable, sugar.

Sister Beulah came by Tuesday afternoon to drop off the bulletins. She stayed for coffee. We talked about the church, about her grandbaby, about the heat. The visit was the visit.

A young woman from the new members class came to me Sunday. She was nervous. She said, Mother Simms, my husband and I are expecting our first and I do not know how to cook. I said, baby, come to the Saturday class. She said, I'm coming. The chain extends.

Sister Patrice's husband had heart surgery this week. I drove a meal over Tuesday — chicken and rice, cornbread, peach cobbler. She cried at the door. I told her, baby, eat the food. The food was the saying.

I had a small cry Wednesday morning at the kitchen window. No reason in particular. The grief comes when it comes. I made coffee. I went on. That is how this works.

I stood at the kitchen window with my coffee Tuesday morning. Six o'clock. The light just coming. The yard quiet. Talking to Mama about the day ahead. The talking is its own prayer, sugar.

I drove to the grocery Saturday morning. Greens, three pounds. Onions, two big ones. Buttermilk, half gallon. Cornmeal, the good kind. Salt, because I always run out of salt.

A new young wife joined the Saturday cooking class. Twenty-two years old. She does not know how to make rice. I will teach her. The chain extends.

Bernice's Table Tuesday. The team was sharp. The food held. The room held.

Mr. Henderson across the street brought me a bag of pecans Friday from his tree. I made a pecan pie with them. I took half of it back to him. He said, Loretta, this is wrong, you took my pecans and gave me back a pie. I said, that is exactly right. That is how it works.

Doris called Thursday. Three times a week, the standard. We talked about Calvin's health. We talked about Harold's health. We talked about the family. We talked about what I was cooking.

The pies I made for Easter — and the pecan pie I sent back across the street to Mr. Henderson — reminded me that a good pie is never really about the filling alone. The crust is the whole point, sugar. That’s what I always say about the mac and cheese, and it’s just as true here: this Peanut Butter Cream Pie sets up with that same kind of quiet authority, the kind that doesn’t need to announce itself. I made this one for the Saturday class, because every young woman who is learning to cook needs one recipe she can bring to a room and know it will hold.

Prep Time: 25 minutes | Cook Time: 10 minutes | Total Time: 4 hours 35 minutes (includes chilling) | Servings: 8

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (about 12 full crackers)
1/3 cup granulated sugar
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
8 oz cream cheese, softened to room temperature
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream, cold
2 tablespoons powdered sugar (for whipped cream)
1/4 cup chopped salted peanuts, for garnish
2 tablespoons honey or chocolate drizzle, optional for serving

Instructions

Make the crust. Preheat oven to 350°F. In a medium bowl, stir together the graham cracker crumbs, granulated sugar, and melted butter until the mixture looks like wet sand and holds together when pressed. Press firmly and evenly into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch pie plate. Bake for 8–10 minutes until just set and lightly golden. Set aside to cool completely before filling.
Beat the filling base. In a large bowl, beat the softened cream cheese with a hand mixer on medium speed until completely smooth, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides. Add the peanut butter, 1 cup sifted powdered sugar, and vanilla extract. Beat on medium until the mixture is uniform, thick, and fluffy, about 2–3 minutes more.
Whip the cream. In a separate chilled bowl, beat the cold heavy whipping cream with the 2 tablespoons of powdered sugar on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form, 3–4 minutes. Do not overbeat.
Fold and fill. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold two-thirds of the whipped cream into the peanut butter mixture until just combined — keep it light and airy, do not stir it flat. Spoon the filling into the cooled crust and smooth the top with the spatula.
Top and chill. Spread or dollop the remaining whipped cream over the top of the filling. Scatter the chopped salted peanuts across the top. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight. The pie needs that time to set; do not rush it.
Serve. Slice with a sharp knife wiped clean between cuts. Drizzle with honey or melted chocolate if you like. Serve cold directly from the refrigerator. Leftovers keep, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Nutrition (per serving)

Peanut Butter Cream Pie — The Crust Is the Whole Point