Chocolate Pecan Pie

I know this is difficult to believe, but prior to preparing this recipe for Chocolate Pecan Pie, I had only eaten Pecan Pie one time in my life. Even more difficult to believe is that Brad had never tasted Pecan Pie at all. When I came across this recipe, I knew that I wanted to make it this year for Thanksgiving; even though I am not a big fan of corn syrup. To be honest, the one time I ate pecan pie, it had me at first bite. When I learned that I could add chocolate to the equation, it was a no brainer. I moved ahead with the following recipe.

Ingredients:
4 oz semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 cups light corn syrup
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt
1 recipe Basic Pie Crust, rolled and fit into 9-inch pie plate (or organic pre-made pie crust)
1 cup pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, with rack in lowest position. In heatproof bowl, set over (not in) saucepan of simmering water, melt chocolate, stirring occasionally, until smooth, about 2 or 3 minute. Or, melt chocolate in microwave. Set aside.

In medium bowl, stir together (do not whisk) eggs, corn syrup, sugar, vanilla and salt. Stirring occasionally, gradually add melted chocolate. Pour filling into prepared crust and place pie plate on rimmed baking sheet. Arrange pecans in one even layer over filling.

Bake just until set; 50 to 6o minutes, rotating halfway through. Filling should jiggle slightly when pie plate is tapped. Let cool completely on wire rack, at least 4 hours before serving.

This pie was pretty amazing. From the rich gooey center to the chewy edges, the dessert was pure heaven. The chocolate cut through the sweetness of the corn syrup and sugar but I still recommend cutting the amount of sugar in half. I know Pecan Pie is meant to be sweet but I think the corn syrup provided enough sweetness to need very little help from sugar. This is the only change I would make to the pie. Other than only being able to eat a small piece to avoid wonky blood sugar, this pie eating experience was close to perfect. Brad concurred.

Although I am providing the recipe for Basic Pie Crust below, I decided to buy a pre-made Wholly Wholesome Organic Pie Shell from PCC Natural Market. This particular pie crust has no hydrogenated oils and is made with organic ingredients so I felt good about using it. I actually liked it almost as well as the crust I make from scratch. It didn't get quite as flakey during the baking process but it was still delicious.

Basic Pie Crust-
Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled), plus more for rolling
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
2 to 4 Tbsp ice water

In food processor, briefly pulse flour, salt and sugar. Add butter; pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal, with a few pea-size pieces of butter remaining. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons ice water. Pulse until dough is crumbly but holds together when squeezed. If necessary, add up to 2 tablespoons water, 1 tablespoon at a time. Don't over mix.

Turn dough out onto large piece of plastic wrap. Fold plastic over dough,; press to shape into 1-inch-thick disk. Refrigerate until firm; at least one hour (or up to 3 days).

On a floured piece of parchment paper, roll dough to 14-inch round with floured rolling pin. Wrap dough around rolling pin, discarding paper; unroll over 9-inch pie plate. Gently fit into bottom and up sides of plate. Do not stretch dough.

Using kitchen shears, trim dough to 1-inch overhang. Fold under itself to form rim and press to seal. Using thumb and forefinger, crimp rim of crust. Refrigerate until ready to use, up to one day.

Recipe Source:
marthastewart.com