Chocolate Pecan Pie

This Thanksgiving, I volunteered to bring the dessert. Normally, choosing a dessert is not a very involved process for me, but this was a special occasion. As my sister was making the dinner for the first time this year (and it was shaping up to be an awesome meal), I couldn't let the closing act flop.

So I sat down and began to weigh the options.

There was the traditional pumpkin pie. Being Lutheran and having attended my fair share of pumpkin pie feeds, I knew just how bland and lack-luster they could be.

There was my mom's stand-by of chifon pumpkin pie. This is an ingenious variation on the tradional pumpkin pie. You take the normal filling, mix it with cool whip, and freeze it. It's wonderfully refreshing after a huge meal.

There were also the cranberry cakes, fruit pies, and cookies to contemplate.

None of these options really excited me. I wanted something different, something chocolate. That's when I turned to Dorie and her book Baking: From My Home to Yours. As I leafed through the endless pages of breads, muffins, cookies, cakes, and pies, a picture of a simple piece of pecan pie caught my eye.



As I could have dismissed it as just another traditional, boring Thanksgiving dessert, but my experience with Dorie urged me to not move on so quickly. As I read through the recipe, I knew I had found the perfect pie.



Not only did this pie have the chocolate I was craving, but it was so easy and simple I could hardly believe it. And after all that food on Thanksgiving, a warm slice of this pie with a scoop of coffee ice cream melting slowly over the top was divine in every way.

MY FAVORITE PECAN PIE
From Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan

Ingredients:

3/4 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup (packed) light brown sugar
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
3 large eggs, preferably at room temperature
2 teaspoons instant espresso powder
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups (about 7 ounces) pecan halves or pieces
3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 9-inch single crust, partially baked and cooled

Directions:

Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Put the pie plate on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silicone mat.

In a large bowl, whisk the corn syrup and brown sugar together until smooth.. Whisk in the melted butter, then add the eggs one at a time, beating until you have a smooth, foamy mixture. Add the espresso powder, vanilla, cinnamon and salt and give the batter a good mix. Rap the bowl against the counter a couple of times to pop any bubbles that might have formed, then stir in the pecans and chocolate. Turn the filling into the crust.

Bake the pie for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, make a foil shield for the crust by cutting a 9-inch circle out of the center of an 11-or 12-inch square of aluminum foil.

Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Place the foil shield on top of the pie—the filling will be exposed, the crust covered by the foil. Bake the pie for another 15 to 20 minutes (total baking time is 30 to 35 minutes), or until it has puffed (the middle and the edges should be fairly evenly puffed), is beautifully browned and no longer jiggles when tapped. Transfer the pie plate to a rack, remove the shield and cool to room temperature.

Serving Suggestions:

Pecan pie is good at any temperature, and different at each one. It’s softest and most puddingish eaten warm (about 45 minutes out of the oven), most flavorful eaten at room temperature and most candy-like when it is chilled. At any temperature, it’s good with ice cream—vanilla, chocolate or coffee

Storing:

Once cooled to room temperature, the pie can be covered and refrigerated for 1 day.

I did manage to accidentally burn the crust. I made mine from refridgerated dough and partially baked it using the directions on the box. Next time I would buy the pre-baked crust instead.