Chocolate Pecan Pie

It’s not about what I know, it’s about what I don’t know.

When we started this blog, my wife sat down and wrote out a schedule of pies to make. I brainstormed 52 topics, she typed them up and fit them into a calendar that would make sense from a seasonal standpoint.  That way, I wasn't making Strawberry Pie in December and Apple Pie in June. And this week’s topic was Chocolate Pecan Pie.

It starts with a completely pre-baked crust. I wanted to try out a new crust, so I made it up, carefully followed the finicky directions about temperature and cooling the ingredients and letting the crust rest. I rolled it out, fit it into the pie pan, docked the crust, let it cool more in the fridge, and put it into a hot oven to bake.  Then I sat down to write a blog post about how much stuff I knew about pie crust. It was going to be great.

After ten minutes, I looked in the oven to find disaster. Despite the docking, the crust had inflated in the middle and slipped down the sides of the pan. This wouldn't do, this wouldn't do at all. I tried to poke holes in the middle and maybe stretch it back, but I've been down this road before and knew that it was over before I started.

It’s not about what I know, it’s about what I don’t know.

When I started reading food blogs, I was often just blown away by the knowledge that people brought to food. They wrote well, made interesting food, took amazing pictures. 

I hesitated to write about food because I’m not an expert. And I don’t write very well. My mind tends to wander, and my writing wanders right along with it. If I had to write anything longer than a catchy Facebook post, I really struggled.

But I want to bake pie better than I can right now. I want to know how to pair crusts with fillings to elevate the final product. I want to know how to produce a crust that is crispy when I want it and tender when that’s the goal. I want to be able to make those gorgeous little leaves that decorate fall pies. The list of what I don’t know about pie is far longer than the list of what I do know.

I want to learn how to alter baking times to make tartelette work. I know there will be different baking times for custard tarts than for fruit tarts, but what will that difference be?

I want to explore historical pies. There’s a recipe that sticks in my craw, a shaker lemon pie, that I've always wanted to try. Not because it sounds so great, but because it sounds so different than anything else I've baked. There are pies that put dried fruits to use, from a time when refrigeration wasn't even possible, that I want to bake. I’m not convinced they’re all great food, but they’re interesting to me because of what they say about how food used to be used.

I want to bake a berry pie that will make my wife swoon. That’s right, full-blown Victorian swooning.

I used to think that crumb crusts were simple. After I made a few failed graham cracker crusts, I've discovered they’re not. I want a crust that works, every time. I want to know how my homemade graham crackers differ (in a crust) from the store bought. I want to find more flavors that work in crumb crusts.

I want to learn how to make a lattice crust. Weird, right? You would think I would figure that out before starting a blog about pies.

I want to find the recipe for the most amazing lemon pie I've ever tasted.

I want to figure out which pie pan to use, for which crust, in which situation. I want to experiment with pyrex and with metal. I want to find a way to make pie in flimsy aluminum pie pans, so I can leave the pan.

I would like to make every pie crust recipe in existence. I want to know what’s so great about that Cook’s Illustrated recipe that all their devotees rave about. There are so many variations on pie crust, I could write a blog just about pie crust, using different flours, different crackers and cookies, different fats and dairy products. But really, would you read a blog about pie crusts?

It’s not about what I know, it’s about what I want to know.

This pecan pie is rich, rich, rich. I made it for Thanksgiving a couple of years ago. The chocolate actually cuts the sweetness of the pie. It’s also really, really good.

Chocolate Pecan Pie

1 unbaked pie crust

Filling

½ stick butter

2 oz. unsweetened chocolate (I used Scharffen Berger)

¾ C. packed dark brown sugar

¾ C. dark corn syrup

1 tsp vanilla extract

3 large eggs

1 ¾ C. Pecan halves

Roll out the pie crust and fit it into a pie pan. Make the edges look nice. Seriously, presentation matters, and nothing screams “Store bought pie crust” like those perfectly machined into place decorations. You know, the little zig-zags. We’re not trying to emulate that.

Pre-heat your oven to 425.

Put a piece of foil over the entire pie crust, then fill the cavity with uncooked beans, rice, or pie weights if that is how you roll. Cook in the oven for ten minutes. The crust should be set, but not cooked through.  

Carefully remove the foil and the beans, rice, or pie weights. Put the crust back in the oven and cook for another 10-12 minutes, until fully cooked. Remove and allow to cool.

Turn your oven down to 350.

In a small saucepan over low heat, melt together the butter and the chocolate. Set aside to cool a little.  

Chop one cup of the pecans.

Stir together the brown sugar, corn syrup, vanilla, and eggs. Stir in the chocolate/butter mixture. Stir all the pecans into the rest of the filling.

Pour the filling into the baked pie crust. Cover the exposed crust with strips of foil or with one of those crust shields. If you don’t have one, don’t worry about it, just use the foil.  But put one on your wish list.

Bake 45 minutes, until the edges are set, but the center is still a little wobbly. Remove from the oven and cool completely.