Thursday, November 5, 2009

bourbon pecan pie

My sister just requested my bourbon pecan pie recipe. It inspired me to update my blog and day dream about cooking great food. She wanted to add a little southern flare to a thanksgiving celebration this weekend. I will see if I can bribe her into taking a picture for the blog.


This is the bourbon pecan pie I made for christmas when my whole family was out here in 2007. If you want to make it super easy on yourself you can buy the pastry already put together--then assembling and baking is easy. But making pie pastry is really easy--just remember to have all of the ingredients cold. Having cold ingredients is the key to great pastry.

pie pastry:

1 c all purpose flour plus more for dusting

1/4 c finely ground pecans

1 T sugar

pinch salt

1/2 c (1 stick) unsalted butter cold and cut into small chunks

2 T ice water plus more as needed.

Filling:

1/4 c (1/2 stick) unsalted butter

2 oz unsweetened chocolate

3 large eggs

1 c sugar

3/4 c dark corn syrup or sugar cane syrup

1/2 t pure vanilla extract

3 T bourbon

1/4 t sale

1 1/2 c pecan halves

To make pastry: combine the flour, ground pecans, sugar, and salt in a large mixing bowl. add the butter and mix with your hands until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. (i sometimes use the food processor) Pour in the ice water and work it in to bind the dough until it just holds together without being too wet or sticky. squeeze a small amount together, if it is crumbly add a little more ice water 1 T at a time. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 min.

Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface into a 12" circle.(Try using two sheets of wax paper and roll the dough between. Peel the top layer and use the bottom layer to flip the dough into the pie plate) Carefully roll the dough up onto the pin and lay it inside a 9" pie pan. Press the dough into the pan so it fits tightly and trim the excess around the rim. Place the pie pan on a sturdy cookie sheet so it will be easy to move in and out of the oven.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

To make the filling: melt the butter and chocolate in a small sauce pan over medium low heat, remove from heat and let cool. beat the eggs in a large mixing bowl until frothy and then blend in the sugar. Stir in the syrup, vanilla, bourbon, salt and the melted butter mixture until well blended.

Arrange the pecans in the bottom of the pie crust and carefully pour the egg mixture over them. Bake until the filling is set and slightly puffed--about 45 min. Test for doneness by sticking a thin knife in the center of the pie. if it comes out fairly clean you are good to go. Transfer the pie to a rack and cool completely before cutting.

I always add another few tbs of bourbon once the pie is slightly cooled. The other alcohol cooked off and this gives the pie a little kick...otherwise you can also make bourbon whipped cream by adding bourbon to the whipping cream as you beat it.