
Chocolate Pecan Pie and Southern Pecan Pie with Spice Crust
Okay, so the last post was all about Pumpkin Pie. I showed you how to make a crust and gave you all handy tips about putting the pie on a sheet pan to ease it in and out of the oven. The second most popular pie for the Thanksgiving holiday is, of course, Pecan Pie. One of my spouses co-workers was wise enough to track her down and inquire if I made pies to order for this holiday. I LOVE SPECIAL ORDERS! I welcome them. I live for them.
So, this lovely lady wanted a Pecan Pie. I just happen to have a wonderful recipe for Pecan Pie. I’ve shared with you, in a past post, another one of my fave baking gurus, Nick Malgieri. This guy has great pie recipes. The above pictured pies are the ones I baked yesterday using Nicks recipes. “How to Bake” is one of my “go to” books when it comes to pies.
SWEET SPICE CRUST
1 cup all purpose flour
3 Tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
4 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter, cut in small pieces
1 large egg
Place dry ingredients into the bowl of a food processor. Pulse a few times to mix. Add pieces of cold butter to the bowl and pulse until mixture resembles corn meal. Add the egg and process, about 10 pulses, until dough forms a ball. Flatten into a round disk, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour.
Roll dough out on a lightly floured surface. Place in pie pan and finish edges as desired.
SOUTHERN PECAN PIE
1 cup dark corn syrup
3/4 cup sugar
6 tablespoons butter
3 large eggs
Pinch of salt
2 tablespoons bourbon
2 cups pecan halves or pieces or combination
Prepare and chill dough
Combine corn syrup and sugar in a sauce pan and stir to mix. Place over low heat and bring to a boil, without stirring. Remove from heat, add the butter, and allow the butter to melt. In a mixing bowl, whisk eggs until they’re liquid and whisk in the salt and bourbon. Whisk in the syrup and butter mixture, being careful not to overmix. Allow to cool.
Set rack at the lowest level of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees.
Roll crust out and set in pan. Arrange pecans in the crust. Skim foam from the top of the filling (or the top will have an unattractively mottled surface) and pour over the pecans. With the back of a fork, press the pecans down into the filling so that they are covered.
Bake the pie for about 45 minutes, until the crust is baked through and the filling is set and well puffed in the center. Cool the pie on a rack and serve warm or at room temperature.
CHOCOLATE PECAN PIE
Cocoa Dough
Same recipe as above except you need to add 2 tablespoons sifted non-alkalized cocoa powder to the dry ingredients before mixing in the butter. Omit the cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves.
PIE FILLING
Add 4 ounces coarsely chopped semisweet or bittersweet chocolate to the hot syrup along with the butter. Allow chocolate to melt and whisk the filling smooth. Stir the pecans into the filling, rather than pouring it over them.
Follow the same directions as Southern Pecan Pie

Trio of pies baked for Thanksgiving 2007
Two Thanksgivings ago, we were invited to join some family and friends for the holiday meal. I volunteered to bring pie, of course. Of course everyone expected Pumpkin Pie, but I wanted more. I make a pretty good Rustic Apple Tart, so it was a natural choice for me to bring. Someone else mentioned Chocolate Cream Pie, so why not make three desserts? I’m tellin’ ya’, any chance I get to make something sweet, I’m up for it.

Makes my mouth water to look at this shot

This one was so much fun to make, all that whipped cream and shaved chocolate

Not the best looking Pumpkin Pie I've ever made, but tasty none the less
I feel a pie kick coming on…………………………………..




























