Recipes and food adventures with Adam Roberts

, ,

|

Chocolate Amaro Pecan Pie

It’s T-minus four days til T-day and most of you who are cooking have your menus worked out. But wait! I’ve got a recipe you need to add to the mix. It comes from Renato Poliafito’s fantastic Italian-American baking book, Dolci!, and it’s a pecan pie that took a trip to Italy and came back a lot more suave. Say hello to this Chocolate Amaro Pecan Pie.

I brought this pie to a brunch today and the combination of the buttery crust, the toasted pecans, the milk chocolate, and the fruity slightly bitter Amaro had everyone sitting up and paying attention.

So how do you make it?

Start with the Pie Itself

I like the pie dough recipe in Dolce because you do it all in a stand mixer, where it all comes together into a ball, which you flatten and refrigerate for an hour. Then you roll it out and crimp your crust all pretty-like.

Not bad, right? I’m getting pretty good at this.

Then you fill it with pie weights and par-bake to set things. A little friendly tip: foil works better than parchment paper here because you can press the foil directly into the crimp so it stays crimped. I filled it all the way to the tippy-top with dry rice, dry chickpeas, and pie weights.

This time things held together (I’ve had issues in the past) and when the pie weights came out, I baked it until set and golden. There was some puffing up, but it deflated after it cooled for a bit. Next time I may prick it more aggressively with my fork.

Now for the Filling

So this pie has corn syrup: cue the angry corn syrup crowd. David Lebovitz has smart things to say on the subject. There’s also brown sugar, vanilla, eggs, and the previously mentioned Amaro and chocolate (hence the name Chocolate Amaro Pecan Pie).

Oh and then there’s pecans. I highly recommend toasting them, like the recipe says: it makes a big difference.

Let’s Bring it All Together

Once all the components are ready, you start by sprinkling the milk chocolate chips directly into the pie crust.

Then in go the pecans, which you’re supposed to toss around with the chips, but I mostly just left them alone. Now you pour in the filling:

Then you just bake at it 350 for 45 minutes or so until it’s all puffed up and set.

To Serve

I made some sturdy whipped cream by pouring in about a cup of heavy cream into my KitchenAid mixer with one tablespoon of powdered sugar, one tablespoon vanilla bean paste, and two tablespoons of sour cream. When I got to stiff peaks, I scraped it into the bowl and kept it in the fridge until it was time to serve. The combo of the sour cream and the powdered sugar does this trick.

Look at these happy pie eaters!

So knock whatever pie you were planning to make off your list and add this Chocolate Amaro Pecan Pie. It’s one for the ages.

Chocolate Amaro Pecan Pie

A sophisticated twist on pecan pie from Renato Poliafito's Dolce.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 2 hours
Cook Time 40 minutes
Servings: 8 people
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 500
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

For the pie dough:
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour 285 grams
  • 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt 2 grams
  • 14 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed and chilled 195 grams
  • 1/4 cup ice cold water, plus more as needed 55 grams
For the filling:
  • 3 large eggs, at room temperature
  • 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons corn syrup 230 grams
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted 40 grams
  • 1/3 packed cup dark brown sugar 65 grams
  • 2 tablespoons Amaro, such as Faccia Brutto or Amaro Nonino 30 grams
  • 1 teaspoon Pure vanilla extract 5 grams
  • 1/4 teaspoon Fine sea salt 2 grams
  • 2/3 cup milk chocolate chips 115 grams
  • 3 cups Pecans, toasted and chopped 340 grams

Method
 

Make the pie dough:
  1. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle, combine the flour, salt, and butter. Mix on low speed until the butter pieces are pea-sized. Slowly stream in the ice water, using only what you need until the ingredients hold together evenly in a smooth dough. If there are noticeable cracks, add a small amount more water. If it's wet or tacky, add a small amount more flour.
  2. Form the dough into a disk and pat down until 1 inch (2.5 cm) thick. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight. Bring the dough to room temperature for 10 minutes before using.
  3. Dust a work surface with flour. Roll the dough into a 12-inch (30 cm) round about ¼ inch (6 mm) thick. Roll the dough up onto the pin and transfer to a 9-inch (23 cm) deep-dish pie plate, pressing to line the bottom and sides. Dock the bottom with the tines of a fork. Trim any excess and crimp the edges. Refrigerate or freeze for 1 hour to firm up.
  4. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
  5. Line the dough with a parchment round that extends past the sides of the pie plate. Fill the base with pie weights, dried beans, or uncooked rice. Bake until the bottom is set, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove the weights and parchment, and place back in the oven to bake for an additional 10 to 20 minutes, or until firm to the touch. Remove and let cool slightly. Leave the oven on and reduce the temperature to 350°F (180°C).
For the filling:
  1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs and corn syrup. Add the melted butter, brown sugar, amaro, vanilla, and salt and whisk until the mixture is smooth.
  2. Scatter the chocolate chips and pecans into the pie shell and give it a quick toss to combine. Pour in the filling up to the rim of the pie crust.
  3. Bake until the filling is set and puffed up, 40 to 50 minutes. Let cool completely, about 2 hours. The pie can be rewarmed in a 300°F (150°C) oven for 15 minutes before serving.

Share

Comments

Leave a Reply

Food Person Book Cover