Every good Southern lady has her own tweaked recipe for pecan pie; mine includes a substantial dose of chocolate and bourbon. This is one of the easiest desserts to make, especially when you cheat and buy a premade crust. The thick, gooey and super rich flavor of the chocolate combined with the zip of bourbon and crunch of pecans makes this pie my go to dessert for all occasions.
Yesterday the most magical thing occurred. . . Thanking one of my favorite food trucks for their amazing food I decided they had earned themselves a chocolate pecan (Bourbon) pie. After their elated cheers subsided I waited an unusually long time for my spring rolls. And then it happened. . . DEEP FRIED CHOCOLATE PECAN PIE!!!! Now, I’m not recommending this for daily or even yearly consumption but it was insane. The amazing kids at Mei Mei Street Kitchen refrigerated the pie, so it would not melt in the deep fryer, then encrusted it in corn fritter batter and plunged it into the deep fryer. I could not contain my emotion; it was the best thing that I’ve ever eaten in my entire life!!! The corn fritter batter was an ideal foil; it complemented the bourbon flavor perfectly. My life will forever be changed! Maybe Paula Deen was right; deep-frying is the way to happiness.
Chocolate Pecan Pie: (recipe makes 2 pies)
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- 8 ounces good quality dark chocolate (72% to 80%)
- 1 ½ cups sugar
- 4 tablespoon Bourbon (use high quality bourbon, you will taste it)
- 3 teaspoons vanilla
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 ½ cups chopped pecans
- 2 purchased thawed 9-inch pie crust
Preheat oven to 325°F. Place baking sheet in oven. Stir butter and chocolate in heavy small saucepan over low heat until melted and smooth. Remove from heat; cool 10 minutes.
Whisk sugar and eggs in medium bowl to blend. Whisk in chocolate mixture, then bourbon, vanilla and salt. Stir in pecans (filling will be thick). Spoon filling into crust.
Place pies on baking sheet in oven. Bake until edges of filling puff and begin to crack and center is just set, 35 to 40 minutes. Transfer pies to rack and cool completely. Serve with whipped cream or deep fry and call your cardiologist.