2000s Recipes + Menus

Bittersweet Chocolate Pecan Pie

Serves8
  • Active time:40 min
  • Start to finish:3 hr (includes making pastry)
November 2007
Here we’ve taken pecan pie above and beyond its usual corn-syrupy incarnation. A layer of bittersweet chocolate adds richness to the dessert while simultaneously balancing its sweetness. And an abundance of pecans makes for a supremely satisfying filling.
  • 1 (3 1/2- to 4-oz) fine-quality 60%- to 70%-cacao bittersweet chocolate bar, finely chopped
  • Pastry dough
  • 2 cups pecan halves (7 oz), toasted and cooled
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cup dark corn syrup
  • Accompaniment:

    lightly sweetened whipped cream
  • Preheat oven to 375°F with rack in middle.
  • Melt chocolate in a metal bowl set over barely simmering water, stirring. Remove from heat.
  • Roll out dough into a 13-inch round on a lightly floured surface with a lightly floured rolling pin. Fit into a 9-inch pie plate. Trim excess dough, leaving a 1/2-inch overhang. Fold overhang under and press against rim of pie plate, then crimp decoratively.
  • Spread chocolate in bottom of pie shell with back of spoon and let it set, then cover with pecans.
  • Whisk together eggs, brown sugar, vanilla, and salt in a bowl, then whisk in corn syrup and pour over pecans.
  • Bake pie until filling is puffed and crust is golden, 50 to 60 minutes. (If pie is browning too fast after 30 minutes, loosely cover with foil.) Cool pie on a rack to warm or room temperature. Serve with whipped cream.
Cooks’ note: Pie can be baked 1 day ahead and chilled, uncovered, until cool, then covered. Reheat in a 350°F oven until warm, about 10 minutes.
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