Over the years, we’ve developed several traditions among our group of friends. Without a doubt, my favorite is our annual Friendsgiving. It’s a potluck event the weekend before Thanksgiving that’s been hosted by the same couple for the past 6 years. Good friends and good food always make for a good time 🙂 This year I was tasked with making the stuffing (more on that later this week) and, of course, I also wanted to make a dessert. This week’s Sweet Melissa Sundays, chosen by Jennifer of Oh, Sweet Day, was chocolate bourbon pecan pie and as much as I wanted to participate, I was too nervous to make an untested recipe for Friendsgiving, especially since I was baking at the last minute and wouldn’t have time to make a second pie should things go awry with the SMS recipe.
So although I didn’t make the chocolate bourbon pecan pie, I didn’t stray far. Instead, I chose a chocolate pecan pie I’d seen over on Kristin’s blog a week ago. Truth be told, I’m not big on pecan pie, but I know it’s a favorite of many and I couldn’t resist the concentric circles of pecans Kristin had created atop her pie (which I imitated on mine), they were stunning! She’d vetted the recipe and declared it a winner so I felt confident it would be a good choice for Friendsgiving. The pie came together easily with just a few bowls and spatulas. Unlike many single crust pies, the recipe did not call for pre-baking the crust and while I enjoyed avoiding the hassle of pre-baking, my crust didn’t take on much color in the oven. Were I to make this pie again I might partially bake the crust before adding the filling. I’m never quite sure what it means when a recipe instructs to bake “just until set” (most say until the filling jiggles “slightly” when the pie plate is tapped, but that doesn’t really clarify things much for me) so I was a bit unsure about the baking time for the pie. I wound up pulling it out at about 55 minutes mainly because the filling was cracking like crazy and seemed set.
Despite my concerns, the pie was a hit at Friendsgiving! The nice thing about it, especially for people who dislike nuts, is that the pecans only sit atop the pie so they’re easy to avoid. Adding chocolate to pecan pie definitely ups the deliciousness factor for me. It was sweet and gooey, rich but not too much so. It’s a pie with a wow factor, and would surely make a great addition to any dessert table at Thanksgiving.
Jennifer will share the SMS recipe for chocolate bourbon pecan pie on her blog today. I still hope to try it eventually, but for now, you can check out the list of bakers this week to see how it turned out for everyone else.
Chocolate Pecan Pie
from Everyday Food, November 2008 (via The Kitchen Sink Recipes)
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 cups light corn syrup
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 recipe Basic Pie Crust, rolled and fit into a 9-inch pie plate
1 cup pecans
Preheat oven to 350 F, with a rack in lowest position.
The pie is beautiful! I actually have never had pecan pie, but I can see how chocolate would go right along with the other flavors. Sounds delcious!
Wow – beautiful pie Tracey, those nuts are positioned so perfectly. Glad it was a hit – I love doing chocolate pecan (breaks the monotony). And perfect for a potluck amongst friends – what a neat idea!
Whoa – this pie looks picture perfect girl. Wish I would eat it right off the screen.
Your pie looks perfect! Definitely try out the SMS pie- I actually like the filling flavor, as it is less sweet than pecan pies that I’m used to.
This just looks almost too gorgeous to eat (although I’d definitely be grabbing for a slice of that if you handed it out)
What a great tradition – and what a gorgeous pie to help celebrate! I loved the chocolate pecan pie we did for TWD, but I might have to give this one a shot too.
I like my pecan pie straight, but that is a definite keep for my chocolate-fiend husband! Lovely.
I love your pie crust edging – it looks so nice!
Your pie looks fabulous Tracey! I saw it on foodgawker and it instantly caught my eye with the perfectly placed pecans. I sat this one out as I am not a fan of pecan pie.
What a pretty pie! I’m usually a pecan pie purist, and have a favorite recipe, but I baked a chocolate pecan pie two Thanksgivings ago that was fab. Had a lot more pecans than this one, so you wouldn’t like it; this one was just right for you.
Oh yum, a chocolate pecan pie instead of the traditional pie. My kinda pie LOL.
Beautiful! The circle of pecans are so perfect. I am always nervous when I take a recipe somewhere and am not sure about it’s doneness. I make a lot of cookie bars, that way I can sneak one and no one will know. Hard to sneak a piece of pie :).
Happy Thanksgiving!
Oh now this is how a pecan should be made, yummy!
I didn’t used to think I liked pecan pie until I tried this recipe!! It’s great!!
I’ve never had a chocolate pecan pie…I feel like I’ve been missing something all these years. 😉 Looks wonderful.
The pie looks fabulous! Friendsgiving sounds like a super-fun tradition!
I know what you mean about not wanting to make an untested recipe. Luckily this week’s SMS pie worked out fine.
That pie looks spectacular. My mom makes a pumpkin pecan pie, but my hubby’s not really a fan. I bet he’d prefer this chocolate version!
this looks gorgeous! down to every last pecan placement!
That looks so lovely that I wouldn’t want to slice into it!
I made this today for Thanksgiving and it was a hit! Thank you!