Carla Hall's Chocolate Pecan Pie 11.18.11

OK, if you saw the episode (well, actually, if you read the title of this post), right away you noticed that either I have giant chocolate chips and giant pecans OR I made chocolate pecan tarts instead of a pie.

Because... well, portion control.  I LOVE a pecan pie.  Never had it with this much chocolate mixed in, but I was sure I was going to love it.  But it is awfully fattening.  Making them this size, I was able to control the size and as long as I have the will power to only eat one, well...moderation.  Since each little tart is about 3 good size bites, I even didn't feel too guilty when i had a little bit of pumpkin pie along side.

And besides, they photograph so nicely...

And, besides the size, I made an additional change that you probably saw in the first photo in the above series... Bourbon in place of vanilla.  First, the alcohol does cook out, leaving a deep rich earthy taste behind. Besides pure vanilla extract is actually mostly alcohol anyway.  In a pecan pie, I just like Maker's mark in place of vanilla.  Just one more layer of flavor.

Alright, first up is a pie crust recipe.  I am constantly on the look out for a new pie crust recipe.  I have tried several, but never could quite get one as good as my Mother-in-Law's.  So, I phoned her and tried hers for the first time.

Lard.    Shhh it's the secret ingredient that only grandmother's know.

So, My Mother-inLaw's Pie Crust recipe first...

Makes 2 pie crust, or one to freeze for later and one to cut into 6 tart size...

3 cups Flour

1 cup Lard

1 tsp Salt

Mix until crumbly.  Then mix together ...

1/4 cup Water 

1 Egg

1 tsp Vinegar

Combine, Divide and roll out, generously flour as you roll out.

OK, as I said, I was making tarts... tartlettes if you will.  SO I rolled one of the crusts out pretty thin.  I then took a large fluted edged round cookie cutter and made six circles.  I sprayed a muffin tin generously and placed the circles in the bottom of the tins.  This made a cup shape about 3/4 inch tall.

OK, in the recipe (that you can see on The Chew's website by clicking HERE), Carla made a pie.  I cut the recipe in half, had more than enough to make 6 tarts.  I also glazed the bottom with egg whites.

So, here's what I did.  The measurements are @1/2 what Carla used (But you should check her recipe if you are making pies)...

1/2 cup Corn Syrup (I only had white on hand, she advises dark)
1 TBS Butter softened to room temperature
1 tsp Corn Starch
1tsp Bourbon
1/2 cups Pecans, chopped
1/4 cup Whole Pecans for decoration
pinch of Salt
1/4 cup Sugar
2 Eggs, lightly beaten
2 tsp White Vinegar
1/4 cup Dark Chocolate Chips

Preheat oven to 375

• Cream Butter and Sugar
• Add Beaten Eggs 
• Add Cornstarch, Salt, Bourbon, Vinegar and Corn Syrup, and now you have the pie filling
• sprinkle a single layer of chocolate chips
• sprinkle the pecan pieces
• add the pie filling
• Bake on center rack for 30 minutes
• Add the garnish whole pecans
• Return to the oven until center of filling reaches 200 degrees

And the verdict is that these were PERFECT!  An adult pie, let the kids have the pumpkin and cakes and sweets.  Rich, earthy,nutty taste.  Just a hint of the Bourbon and a very unique taste with the chocolate added!

LOVE THIS!

Carla Hall's Choco-holic Whoopie Pies 11.7.11

Makin' Whoopie!  I guess I am too old, but I would have thought Bob Eubanks and the Newlywed Game would pop up somewhere in todays' episode.  But nope.

What did pop up was some really terrific chocolate recipes.

From a gourmet Chocolate chip cookie to Clinton's Pot de Cream to guest Michael Irvine's Fried Bananas with Lavender Honey and chocolate drizzle, today had so many delicious sounding items that I wanted to try.

But some days you make decisions based on budgets (I had all the ingredients in my pantry, no need to shop) and I saw a hole in my cooking repertoire.  Whoopie pies have been the darling of the food blog world for a bit.  Seems everyone is giving them a go.  Except me.  But not now.

Just think two chocolate cupcake tops, filled with a white chocolate/mascarpone filling.

And think delicious!  Slight crispness on the outside of the cookie, but with a cakey texture inside.  The white chocolate, blended with the Italian cream cheese makes for a perfect combination of creamy sweetness.

I do have a flaw in my photography, there is no reference point for size.  the plate in the photos is about the size of a 5X7 photo.  So the cookies are no more than 2 inches wide.  Meaning these are great little 2-3 bite gems.  As Daphne pointed out, just the right size for portion control diets (I am trying to drop 5 pounds before Thanksgiving so I can gain 6 in December).

On The Chew website, there is a video showing how Carla made these.  If you have never used a piping bag before, it would not hurt to take a look at the visual How-To.  Click HERE for the video link.

And for the recipe, The Chew website also has the full recipe posted... again, Click HERE.  BUT, I read over the comments on the page and noticed that several people were having trouble viewing the recipe instructions.  They are not hard at all, and risking copyright infringement, here's my very brief how-to interpretation.  BTW, I cut the recipe in half.  You will see the recipe doubled on the site... another desperate attempt at portion control...

1 cup AP Flour
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1/4 stick Butter (Softened to room temp)
1/2 cup Milk
1 cup Powdered Sugar
1/2 cup Mascarpone (I actually used Almond Paste)
1/4 cup unsweetened Cocoa
1/4 tsp Salt
1/2 cup Sugar
1 Egg
another 1/2 stick Butter (softened)
1/2 tsp Vanilla
1/4 cup melted White Chocolate

Preheat oven to 425, line baking pan with parchment paper

To Make the cakes...
Whisk Flour, Cocoa, Baking Soda and salt in medium bowl
In a stand mixer, cream the first 1/2 stick  butter and sugar until fluffy.  Add the egg and milk and mix until fully incorporated.  Slow the beating blade down and slowly add the flour mixture.

Use a half tsp measure and drop the cookie dough onto the parchment paper leaving a space between each (they expand).  Bake for 5-7 minutes.  the top will have a crisp shell and the insides will make them springy to the touch

For the filling...
Beat the butter and the powdered sugar together.  Add the vanilla and mascarpone cheese and mix.  Finally add the white chocolate.

When the cookies have cooled, match the sizes so you have 2 about the same size, use a piping bag and fast as you can say, :Bob's your Uncle"... you have a delicious little taste treat!

Carla Hall's Mexican Chocolate Mousse 11.2.11

It was romance day on The Chew!

Guests were the Neeleys, from "Down Home with the Neelys" Food Network fame.  And it was among the best of the series so far.

If you take a look at the episode breakdown showing the different clips and different recipes shown you will see plenty for me to pick from.  Bacon wrapped shrimp looked fun and Daphne's pistachio crusted fish really sounded tasty.  But I chose the romantic Chocolate Mousse that Carla showed.

Carla gave two hints that I have been using for years in the recipe to set hers apart.  BTW, there is a clip of her making the dish that you can see by clicking HERE.

She uses just a tiny amount of Cayenne Pepper!  REALLY, it works wonders.  The key is restraint, just a pinch or two is all you need.  It does not make a huge difference in the taste, but it does increase the number of taste buds (some buds respond to sweet, some to salty and some to HEAT Spices).  Trust me (and Carla), the mousse is still plenty sweet enough!  And BTW, add just a pinch of cayenne to your standard oatmeal Scotchie recipe and you will never use the bag recipe again.  But I digress...

To top it all off, she adds a tiny bit of strong espresso to her chocolate.  Again, just a bit, but the mixture of chocolate and coffee accents the taste of the chocolate.  Makes it fuller and a stronger taste of chocolate!

It is nice to have these little extras I have found validated.  LOVE this recipe!

And one more BTW tip from me... This is a make ahead dish, needing to chill in the fridge for 8 hours.  Since the episode was about romance, here's my romantic tip.  Use your good crystal.  I mean what's the good if you just leave it in the cabinet.  Are you saving it for when the Pope visits?

My wife and I got our crystal as a wedding gift.  Any chance we have to use it is always a romantic occasion... Even a Tuesday night.

I made the recipe exactly as Carl posted on The Chew website (Click HERE).  There is a lot of whisking.  Sure helps to use a Kitchenaid stand mixer.

But the Mousse was delicious.  Rich and chocolaty but also light and fluffy (from all that whisking).

Another big winner... I think I am in Love!