Volume 12, Issue 060 - March 23, 2007

Hello Chef,

We would like to thank the National Peanut Board for sharing all this great content with us this week. I would also like to thank Jeanne Bauer for her hard work helping us put this all together. I know more about peanuts and peanut butter than I ever thought I could. Today is Friday, so as a special treat we have some yummy desserts for you, including an awesome peanut butter cookie recipe...enjoy!

Next week we will talk about savory vegetable side dishes. Maybe you will find a new favorite.

Have a great weekend, You deserve it.

Do YOU know what Arachibutyrophobia is? Read on...

Fun Facts about Peanut Butter:

• Peanut butter is the leading use of peanuts in the USA.
• Peanut butter was the secret behind "Mr. Ed," TV's talking horse.
• It takes about 540 peanuts to make a 12-ounce jar of peanut butter.
• There are enough peanuts in one acre to make 30,000 peanut butter sandwiches.
• Peanut butter was first introduced to the USA in 1904 at the Universal Exposition in St. Louis by C.H. Sumner, who sold $705.11 of the "new treat" at his concession stand.
• The oldest operating manufacturer and seller of peanut butter has been selling peanut butter since 1908.
• Peanut butter is consumed in 89 percent of USA households.
• The world's largest peanut butter factory churns out 250,000 jars of the tasty treat every day.
• Women and children prefer creamy, while most men opt for chunky.
• People living on the East Coast prefer creamy peanut butter, while those on the West Coast prefer the crunchy style.
• It takes two grindings to make peanut butter. The intense heat produced from one, long grinding would ruin the flavor of the peanut butter.
• November is Peanut Butter Lovers Month.
• Arachibutyrophobia is the fear of getting peanut butter stuck to the roof of your mouth.

Source: National Peanut Board

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Classic Peanut Butter Cookies

Makes 4 dozen cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup crunchy peanut butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
2 eggs
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preparation:

Cream together butter, peanut butter and sugars. Beat in eggs. In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir into batter. Put batter in refrigerator for 1 hour. Roll into 1 inch balls and put on baking sheets. Flatten each ball with a fork, making a criss-cross pattern. Bake in a preheated 375 degree F oven for about 10 minutes or until cookies begin to brown. Do not over-bake.

More Fun Facts about Peanut Butter:

• The average child will eat 1,500 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches before he/she graduates high school.
• The world's largest peanut butter and jelly sandwich was created in Oklahoma City, OK, on September 7, 2002, by the Oklahoma Peanut Commission and the Oklahoma Wheat Commission. The PB & J sandwich weighed in at nearly 900 pounds, and contained 350 pounds of peanut butter and 144 pounds of jelly. The amount of bread used to create the sandwich was equivalent to more than 400-one pound loaves of bread. Now that's one giant sandwich!
• Sixty percent of consumers prefer creamy peanut butter over crunchy.
• The patent for peanut butter was awarded to Dr. John Harvey Kellogg in 1895.
• The amount of peanut butter eaten in a year could wrap the earth in a ribbon of 18-ounce peanut butter jars one and one-third times.
• Americans spend almost $800 million a year on peanut butter.
• Americans eat enough peanut butter in a year to make more than 10 billion peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
• Spread the word - Peanut butter is the leading use of peanuts in the USA!

Source: National Peanut Board

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The Ultimate Peanut Butter Pie

Makes 16 to 18 servings

Ingredients:

Gingersnap Cookie Crust:

1 1/4 cups fine gingersnap cookie crumbs
1/3 cup finely chopped unsalted roasted peanuts
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted

Chocolate Ganache:

1/2 cup heavy cream
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped

Peanut Butter Streusel:

1 1/2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
2 1/2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
2 tablespoons finely chopped unsalted roasted peanuts
1 ounce finely chopped bittersweet chocolate

Peanut Butter Filling:

1 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar
1 1/4 cups creamy peanut butter
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 teaspoons ground ginger
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/3 cups chilled heavy cream, whipped to stiff peaks

Peanut Butter Glaze/Garnish:

3 tablespoons heavy cream
2 ounces white chocolate, chopped
3 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 ounce shaved bittersweet chocolate
unsalted roasted peanut halves

Preparation:

Crust:

Preheat oven to 325 F. In medium bowl, combine crust ingredients with fork until well blended and evenly moistened. Firmly press onto bottom and sides of a 9-inch pie pan. Bake 8 to 10 minutes until crust firms up and is set. Cool on wire rack.

Ganache:

Combine cream and chocolate in glass measure or bowl. Microwave on high 1 to 1 1/2 minutes until cream is simmering; whisk mixture until smooth. Pour over bottom of cooled crust, spreading into an even layer. Place in freezer 30 minutes or until ganache is firm. Meanwhile, prepare Peanut Butter Streusel.

Streusel:

Stir together ingredients in small bowl with fork until confectioners' sugar is incorporated. Drop pea-sized clumps of streusel onto a plate, refrigerate 30 minutes.

Filling:

Using mixer with paddle attachment, cream together confectioners' sugar, peanut butter, cream cheese, ginger and vanilla until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Fold the whipped cream into the peanut butter mixture until incorporated. Spoon half of the filling into crust and spread into an even layer. Scatter streusel evenly over filling. Spoon the remaining filling over the streusel. With offset spatula, smooth filling into an even mound, sloping down to meet edge of crust. Place pie in freezer for at least 3 hours, or until filling is frozen hard.

Glaze and Garnish:

Combine cream and white chocolate in 2-cup glass measure. Microwave on high for 30 seconds or until cream is simmering; let stand 1 minute. Whisk melted chocolate into cream. Add peanut butter and vanilla; whisk until glaze is smooth. Let glaze stand 5 minutes to thicken slightly. Slowly pour glaze over top of frozen pie, letting it slowly run down slopes of filling mound, to cover filling completely (use a small icing spatula to spread glaze to crust edge). Spoon shaved chocolate in a 2-inch band around edge of filling. Garnish with peanut halves. Freeze at least 1 hour or until firm.