Banana Cream Pie with Salty Bourbon Caramel

Preheat oven to 350°F. Pulsepeanuts in a food processor until coarselyground.

Transfer 1/4 cup ground nuts to asmall bowl; cover and set aside for garnish.Pulse remaining peanuts until peanut butterforms, about 2 minutes.

Whisk flour, salt, and baking soda in amedium bowl. Using an electric mixer, beatboth sugars, peanut butter, and butter untilwell combined and mixture resembles wetsand, 2–3 minutes. Beat in egg yolk andvanilla, occasionally scraping down sides ofbowl, until well blended, about 3 minutes(mixture will be clumpy). Gradually adddry ingredients; beat just to combine(mixture will be crumbly; do not overmix orcrust will be tough). Gather dough with yourhands, place in pie dish, and press evenlyonto bottom and up sides of dish.

Bakeuntil edges are deep golden brown, 15–17minutes.

Let cool on a wire rack. DO AHEAD:Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover tightly.

Bring milk and cream to a simmer in a medium saucepan.Meanwhile, whisk sugar, cornstarch, flour,and salt in a large mixing bowl.

Add eggyolks; whisk until smooth (mixture will bevery thick).

Whisking constantly, graduallyadd milk mixture to yolk mixture. Returnto saucepan and cook over medium-lowheat, whisking constantly, until thick, 2–3minutes.

Transfer to a blender with butterand vanilla. Purée until smooth, 1–2 minutes.

Transfer to a medium bowl; press plasticwrap directly onto surface of pastry cream.Chill until set, at least 2 hours. DO AHEAD:Can be made 2 days ahead.

Using an electric mixer or whisk,beat 1/2 cup cream and powdered sugar untilmedium-stiff peaks form. Cover and chill.

Stir sugar, 1 tablespoon bourbon, corn syrup,and 1 tablespoon water in a medium deepsaucepan over medium-low heat until sugardissolves. Increase heat, bring to a boilwithout stirring, and cook, occasionallyswirling pan and brushing down sideswith a wet pastry brush, until sugar is deepamber in color, 6–8 minutes.

Removecaramel from heat; whisk in remaining 1/4 cupcream, butter, and salt (mixture will bubblevigorously).

Let cool for 5 minutes; whisk inremaining 1/2 tablespoon bourbon and vanilla.

Letbourbon caramel cool slightly. DO AHEAD:Whipped cream and bourbon caramel canbe made 2 hours ahead. Rewhisk whippedcream before serving.

Let bourbon caramelstand at room temperature.

Spread 1/4 cup vanilla pastry creamevenly over bottom of peanut crust. Slicebananas into 1/4"-thick rounds.

Layer halfof the bananas over pastry cream. Top with1 1/2 cups pastry cream. Arrange remainingbananas over; top bananas with remainingpastry cream.

Garnish with whippedcream and reserved ground peanuts.

Servewith bourbon caramel.