The rain is washing my car. The baby's asleep. The boy's at my mom's house. Paul did the laundry fairly recently. Lunch is made. The Christmas cards will be ready tomorrow. As always, I'm way behind on email, and correspondence in general, but pushing that guilt towards the back of my mind is working for the moment. The house is not a complete mess. I have so much to do to get holiday presents ready that the magnitude of the problem is simply blinding - I can't see it.
So let's talk about pie. One of the highlights of our Thanksgiving feast this year was a chocolate pecan pie that was so decadent and rich and delicious that my brother compared it to candy. If the idea of candy served in the size and shape of pie, not to mention wrapped in buttery pastry, doesn't completely repel you, keep reading, I've got a holiday dessert for you.
It's a variation of that derby pie that from my limited understanding of Kentucky (I used to have a friend that lived there once. Hi Peter.) seems to involve nuts, chocolate, and bourbon. I started with this recipe on Martha Stewart's website. But that one was just too sweet and too bourbon-y for children and nursing mothers (Sorry Dorka).
So I cut back on the bourbon and the sugar, replaced it with the molasses-y brown variety for more flavor, and fell in love all over again with pie.
(Just to be clear, this love has never abated, but I've discovered it can reach new depths with the addition of chocolate and pecans and bourbon.)
Chocolate Pecan Pie
- 1 prepared pie shell
- 2 tablespoons flax meal
- 6 tablespoons water
- 1/3 cup vegan butter, melted
- 2/3 cup brown sugar
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups pecan pieces, toasted
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
- 2 tablespoons bourbon
Blind bake pie shell: prick several times with a fork. Cover with parchment paper or foil. Weigh down with rice or beans or pie weights. Bake for 10 minutes at 400 degrees. Remove paper and weights. Bake for another 6 - 8 minutes, until the crust appears dry and the edges are just beginning to brown. Remove to a cooling rack.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flax meal and water. Let sit for about 10 minutes, until the flax meal absorbs the water and transforms into a thick eggy goop. Beat in the melted butter, brown sugar, and flour. Add the pecans, chocolate, and bourbon. Stir. Pour this mixture into your blind baked pie shell. Bake at 350 until filling is set, about 25 minutes.
Let cool before serving.
