To make the cupcakes, preheat the oven to 350˚ F.  Line cupcake pans with paper liners.  Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl and whisk to blend.  In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter and sugar and beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy.  Blend in the peanut butter.  Beat in the eggs one at a time, blending well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.  Blend in the sour cream.  With the mixer on low speed, mix in half of the dry ingredients, mixing just until incorporated.  Mix in the buttermilk and then the remaining dry ingredients, mixing each addition just until combined.

Divide the batter between the prepared liners filling each about 2/3 full.  Bake 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, rotating the pans halfway through baking.  Let cool in the pans a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before proceeding.

To fill the cupcakes, use the cone method to hollow out the cupcakes.  (I preferred using a small paring knife for these cupcakes.)  Cut the tip portion off of each cone and discard, reserving a disc from each to cover the filling.  Fill each cupcake with a small spoonful of grape or strawberry jam.  Replace the cake discs over the filling.

To make the frosting, combine the butter and peanut butter in the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat on medium-high speed until smooth. Mix in the confectioners’ sugar and salt. With the mixer on low speed, mix in the vanilla and cream just until incorporated. Increase the mixer speed to medium-high and whip until light and very fluffy, about 4 minutes. Transfer the frosting to a pastry bag fitted with a plain round tip (I used Ateco #809). Pipe a swirl of frosting on top of each cupcake.  Use the tip of a small offset spatula or a small spoon to scoop an indentation out of the center of the frosting.  Fill the indentation with a small spoonful of jam.

Add the onions, celery, carrots, scallions, garlic, oil, and salt to a large Dutch oven or stock pot and stir together.  Cover and cook over medium-low heat, stirring often, until the pan bottom begins to brown lightly, 20-30 minutes.

Add in the water, cauliflower, tomato, thyme, bay leaves, and peppercorns.  Partially cover, bring to a gentle simmer (not a boil) and cook for 1½ hour, adjusting the heat as needed to maintain a gentle simmer.

Strain the broth through a fine mesh strainer into a pitcher and pour into storage containers.  Use within 3 days or freeze until ready to use.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the tomato, onion, and pepper and cook, stirring frequently, until the onion begins to soften and brown, about 7 minutes.  Add the tequila and cook, stirring, until reduced to a glaze.

Sprinkle in the cheese.  Stir slowly and constantly until just melted.  Serve immediately in a warm dish.  Sprinkle with the cilantro.  Enjoy with tortilla chips.

To make the bean patties, place half of the beans in the bowl of a food processor with 1 coarsely chopped bell pepper, the eggs, oregano, cumin, and chipotle.  Process until smooth.  Finely chop the remaining bell pepper.  In a large bowl, lightly mash the remaining beans.  Stir in the bell pepper, onion, and smooth bean mixture.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Stir in the cornmeal or breadcrumbs, a bit at time, mixing lightly just until the mixture firms up.  (Pick up a bit and see if it can be easily molded into a ball.  If it is too sticky, add a little more cornmeal.)  Chill the mixture for 30 minutes.

While the bean mixture is chilling, make the corn relish.  Heat the canola oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the corn to the pan and sauté briefly until lightly browned, 2-3 minutes.  Stir in the garlic and jalapeño and cook just until fragrant, about 1 minute.  Transfer the mixture to a bowl.  Stir in the tomato, lime juice, and cilantro.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

To make the avocado cream sauce, combine all ingredients in the bowl of a food processor or blender.  Process until completely smooth.

Form the bean mixture into patties approximately 3½ inches in diameter.  Heat about 2 tablespoons of canola oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add the patties in batches, cooking until lightly browned and firm, about 3-4 minutes per side.  Serve the patties warm topped with the corn relish and drizzled with the avocado cream sauce.

To make the pastry cream, heat the half-and-half, 6 tablespoons of the sugar, and the salt in a saucepan over medium-high heat until simmering, stirring occasionally to dissolve the sugar.  Meanwhile, combine the egg yolks and remaining 2 tablespoons sugar in a medium bowl and whisk until the sugar has begun to dissolve and the mixture is creamy, about 15 seconds.  Whisk in the cornstarch until combined and the mixture is pale yellow and thick, about 30 seconds.  When the half-and-half mixture has reached a simmer, slowly add it to the egg yolk mixture to temper, whisking constantly.  Return the mixture to the saucepan, scraping the bowl with a rubber spatula.  Return the mixture to a simmer over medium heat, whisking constantly, until a few bubbles burst on the surface and the mixture is thickened and glossy, about 30 seconds.  Off the heat, whisk in the butter and vanilla.  Strain the pastry cream through a  fine mesh sieve set over a medium bowl.  Press plastic wrap directly on the surface to prevent a skin from forming and refrigerate until cold and set, at least 3 hours and up to 2 days.

To make the cupcakes, preheat the oven to 350° F.  Line cupcake pans with paper liners.  Set aside.  In a medium bowl, combine the cake flour, baking powder and salt.  Whisk together and set aside.  Add the butter to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.  Scrape the vanilla bean seeds into the bowl of the mixer with the butter and discard the pod (or reserve for another use.)  Beat on medium-high speed for 3 minutes, until light and creamy in color.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat for one more minute.

Add the sugar to the butter mixture, ¼ cup at a time, beating 1 minute after each addition.  Mix in the eggs one at a time until incorporated.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl after each addition.  Combine the buttermilk and the vanilla extract in a liquid measuring cup.  With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients alternately with the wet ingredients, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients and mixing just until incorporated.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix for 15 seconds longer.

Divide the batter between the prepared paper liners, filling each about 2/3 of the way full.  Bake 18-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Allow to cool in the pans 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.  Replace paper liners and bake remaining batter as before.

To fill the cupcakes, use the cone method to hollow out the center of the cupcakes (I prefer the paring knife method for these cupcakes).  Discard the cones.  Place a single slice of banana inside of each cupcake.  Top with a small spoonful of the pastry cream and another slice of banana on top of that.

To frost the cupcakes, combine the cream and confectioners’ sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.  Whip on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form, being careful not to over-beat.  Blend in the vanilla extract.  Transfer the whipped cream to a pastry bag fitted with a decorative tip (I used a large unlabeled star tip).  Pipe a swirl of whipped cream on top of each cupcake.

To finish, preheat the oven to 400˚ F.  Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.  Roll out the pie dough on a lightly floured surface and cut out small decorative rounds with a cookie cutter.  Transfer the rounds to the prepared baking sheet and brush lightly with the egg wash.  Bake about 15 minutes, or until light golden brown.  Let cool completely.  (The pie dough rounds can certainly be made in advance and stored in an airtight container.)  Just before serving, top cupcakes with a round of pie crust and an additional banana slice, if desired.