I have never really been much of a pie maker because I find the whole pie making process very tedious and time consuming. You might find my comment a little shocking, but it’s true – I have the utmost respect and admiration for pie makers because of what they go through to put out a great pie.
In the early 1990’s, I was working a full time job in the medical field, going to culinary school and also holding down a part time job at the Intercontinental Baltimore Harbor Court Hotel under Executive Chefs Michael Rork and Holly Forbes. It was during this time that Michael Rork was the it chef in Baltimore – an extraordinary chef and a truly wonderful man who always had a kind word for this young pastry cook. I was primarily hired to create pastries for the hotel bakery along with helping as necessary for desserts that were required for the multiple dining venues and room service. I did this for one year and was determined to learn as much as I could under this talented chef and his staff. It was during this time that I did a lot of grunt work, that included rolling (what seemed to be) thousands and thousands of tart shells for mini pastries and mini tarts.
It’s no wonder I still cringe when I see pie dough…
Such is the life of a pastry cook when they are first starting out – you are used and abused with so many mundane kitchen tasks, but I will say that you become an expert in the manufacturing and production process. This is where you separate out those who really love the business with those who just want the limelight. Very few chefs starting out are willing to put in the time it takes to learn these many skills. I learned a long time ago that there is no shortcut in this business and to succeed, you must pay your dues with many long hours of kitchen duty.
Since Thanksgiving is such a huge pie holiday, I decided to put together a recipe that I had been tossing around in my head for a few weeks. I didn’t want it to be just any old pie, but wanted it to be one of my favorites – a pecan pie that was going to be laced with a really good dark chocolate along with some rum.
I picked up a few deep dish pie shells at the supermarket since I still can’t quite bring myself to make pie dough. I know this will change one day, but at this point, buying pre-made pie shells is something I have come to depend on. I wanted to focus on creating a really great filling and this definitely starts with taking the time to roast the nuts. This little step makes a huge difference in the flavor and the texture of the nuts. Those that are roasted not only have a lovelier flavor, but they stay crispy longer in the filling.
Another step that was really important was to use coarsely chopped nuts for the filling, and then some whole nuts tossed on top. The coarse nuts in the filling ensure that you get nuts with every bite, see what I mean…
The whole nuts are scattered on top after you pour in the filling — it not only tells you what kind of pie it is but also makes it look like a prettier and more substantial pie. Make sure to use a really good dark chocolate too. I have been using Guittard dark chocolate chips for a while now with great results.
When it was ready to slice I couldn’t wait to try it. I shared it with some friends who managed a few oohs, ahhs and yums in between bites of the pie – it was then that I knew I had hit the mark.
Dark Chocolate Roasted Pecan Pie
2 sticks of salted butter
1 ½ cups dark chocolate (I used Guittard)
3 eggs
½ cup granulated sugar
1 cup corn syrup (light or dark)
1 teaspoon maple extract
¼ to 1/3 cup of Myer’s rum
3 ¼ cups whole roasted pecans
1 pre-made deep pie shell
2 tablespoons apple jelly (glaze)**optional
Place the pecans on a paper line sheet pan and roast them in a preheated 350°F oven for about 8-10 minutes until they begin to take on a little color. Make sure to turn the pan around about half way through. You know that the nuts are ready to remove from the oven when you smell that lovely nutty aroma wafting from the oven – make sure to be careful at this point because they can burn very easily. When ready, remove them from the oven and allow them to cool completely. Next, turn the temperature of your oven down to 325°F.
I chose to use a pre-made frozen pie shell that I picked up at the store. I allowed the pie shell to thaw at room temperature and then pressed into a 9.5″ pie (or mousse) rim. You definitely don’t have to do this and you can simply bake the pie in the foil pan that the deep dish crust comes in. I like to use my rim because it gives a nice straight edge and a more European style look to the final product.
To begin making the filling, place the butter in to a small stock pot over moderate heat to begin melting. Once it has all melted, add in the dark chocolate and stir with a wooden spoon until it is all combined together, then set aside. You can do this in the microwave if you prefer, just make sure to use a microwave safe bowl and only use bursts of heat because it may burn if you keep it in there for too long.
In a medium sized bowl add the eggs, sugar, corn syrup, maple extract and rum. Whisk everything well together and then add in the chocolate mixture. Take 2 cups of the whole roasted nuts and put them into the food processor and pulse until you have achieved a medium coarse texture, like this…
Place the other 1¼ cup of whole roasted pecans into a small bowl and add enough chocolate mixture to the nuts to coat them all well and set aside. The whole nuts will be placed on the top of the pie.
Add the coarsely chopped nuts to the remaining chocolate mixture and use a wooden spoon to make sure that the nuts are distributed well throughout the mixture. Pour this into your prepared pie crust, then top evenly with the chocolate coated whole pecans.
Bake the pie in your preheated oven until the pie has set and no longer jiggles in the center when you tap the sheet pan, about 35-45 minutes.
Allow it to cool completely and then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Before serving, heat the 2 tablespoons of apple jelly in the microwave and brush it all over the pie to give it a beautiful shine.
To achieve clean slices, make sure to slice the pie after it has been chilled. You can either serve it chilled or gently heated in the microwave either as is or with some ice cream.