It’s dangerous being the dessert person at cookbook club. We gorge ourselves for 2 hours on what has basically become a monthly thanksgiving, and if we aren’t careful, we could miss the dessert person’s contribution altogether.
Actually, that’s never really happened. But, I did make a very intentional effort to not stuff myself silly on food-food once I saw this pie. It’s very rich and delicious, with a layer of bittersweet chocolate between the filling and the crust rather than chocolate mixed into the filling. There was complete silence in the room as we devoured our servings…a very good sign 🙂
Annie’s Chocolate Pecan Pie:
For the Crust:
1 cup Flour (plus a little extra for table and rolling-pin)
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 cup Shortening (chilled)
3 Tbs Ice Water
Combine the flour and salt. Cut shortening into the flour mixture until lumps are the size of small peas. Add the water, a small amount at a time, until the dough cleans the sides of the bowl and forms a ball – adding more water is necessary.
Form into a ball and chill for at least 15 minutes.
Roll out on a floured surface into a circle large enough to fit a 9 inch pie pan.
To fit the dough into the pan, fold it in half, then half again. Put it in 1/4 of the pie pan, then unfold. If it tears or there are gaps, use ice water to patch the crust back together. (Anytime you touch the dough, dip your fingers in ice water first).
For the filling:
3 1/2 – 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate
3 eggs
2/3 cups sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup butter, melted
1 cup dark or light corn syrup
1 cup pecans (halved or broken)
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Line pie pan with pastry.
Melt chocolate and pour into pie crust, spreading evenly. Beat eggs, sugar, salt, melted butter and corn syrup together in a bowl. Stir in nuts and pour into pie pan.
Bake 40-50 minutes, or until the filling is set. Let cool before serving.
Betty Crockhead 