Friday Flowers: Periwinkles and Peanut Butter S’mores Meringue Pie

Recipe

1. Scald the cream in a small saucepan over medium heat. Tiny bubbles will appear on the edges of the pan -- it should be very hot, but not boiling.
2. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, pour the hot cream over the finely chopped chocolate and let it sit for about 4 minutes. Use a spoon to stir to blend the mixture until the cream is fully incorporated. Then, add the peanut butter and stir until it's completely smooth. Set this aside and let it come to room temperature, about 20 minutes or so.
3. Meanwhile, add the graham crackers to a food processor fitted with the blade attachment and blend until they are finely ground. Add the melted butter and 1/3 cup of the sugar and blend just to combine.
4. Pour the graham cracker mixture into a 10-inch pie plate. Use your fingers to gently press it down evenly on the bottom and edges, to form the crust.
5. Then pour the cooled chocolate-peanut butter mixture into the crust. Place this in the refrigerator for at least 45 minutes.
6. When the pie almost done setting in the refrigerator, make the meringue.
7. Fill medium saucepan with a few inches of water and place it over medium heat, and bring the water to a simmer. Then in a heatproof bowl, combine the egg whites and remaining 1 cup of sugar. Place this bowl on top of the pan with the simmering water. Whisk constantly until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is very warm, about 4 minutes. Now pour this into a stand mixer or an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, and whip, starting on low speed, gradually increasing to high until stiff, glossy peaks form, about 7 minutes.
8. Remove the pie from the refrigerator and immediately pour the meringue on top of the chocolate. Use a rubber spatula to get every last bit, and then smooth out the top surface on the pie, or make pretty patterns!
9. Use a small kitchen blow torch or the broiler to brown the sugar. If you are using the torch, simply turn it on medium-high and evenly go around until the meringue becomes golden everywhere you want it to. If you are using the broiler, keep a very careful eye on it! It will brown quickly!
10. Serve the amazing pie right away!

Notes