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!

Michael Symon's Cast Iron Pork Pie 10.24.11

Kale... Where have you been all my life???  Doesn't it seem like Kale came out of nowhere as an ingredient?

Now, you can't read a blog without hearing about the benefits.  Here's the Wikipedia paragraph that lists everything it does for you...

Kale is very high in beta carotene, vitamin K, vitamin C, lutein, zeaxanthin, and reasonably rich in calcium. Kale, as with broccoli and other brassicas, contains sulforaphane (particularly when chopped or minced), a chemical with potent anti-cancer properties.^[1] Boiling decreases the level of sulforaphane; however, steaming, microwaving, or stir frying do not result in significant loss.^[2] Along with other brassica vegetables, kale is also a source of indole-3-carbinol, a chemical which boosts DNA repair in cells and appears to block the growth of cancer cells.^[3][4] Kale is also a good source of carotenoids.^[5]

How can you not cook every recipe you find with this as an ingredient!

Like this.  Think Shepherd's Pie.  It's pretty basic, cooked meat, some type of filler for the meat and top with smashed potatoes and some cheese.  Reheat till the cheese is melted and just starting to char a bit.

Michael's recipe is terrific, click HERE to see The Chew website for his recipe.

I followed the recipe exact.  Then I started to think about it a bit.  Michael used nutmeg and cinnamon as spices.  Fine if you like savory, with just a bit of seasonings.  Me, I was after a kick.

A few days ago I blogged about Michael's spicy tomato blue cheese soup.  It was a terrific soup that uses sriracha sauce to add heat and I was in love with the soup.  I added just 1/2 a cup of the soup to the dish.  Not really enough to make it a stew at all, but enough to add that heat spice that I was after (and I love to use leftovers as an ingredient to stretch the foods I love).

I also had made some of Clinton Kelly's Texas Nachos a few days ago.  I used almost a whole jar of spicy queso cheese for the nachos.  I had maybe 1/2 cup left in the bottom of the jar.  I followed Michael's directions, but also added the leftover queso cheese on top of the cheddar.  Again, a nice little extra spice kick to the savory recipe.

And finally, as a tribute to Daphne, I doubled the amount of kale.  I had a BIG cast iron skillet.  needed to add something for volume, may as well add more of the healthiest ingredient.

And while I do not know about the taste of Michael's original recipe (I can only imagine).  I am sure it tasted just fine (think a really great Irish recipe).  I think I liked the extra spicy kick with my changes better.

It's just as good as you can imagine!

Carla Hall Cranberry Apple Pie... well Apple Peach Pie 10.5.11

I DID IT!!!

I consider myself a fair,  experienced home cook.  I have knife skills and can do that TV chef flip thing with a saute pan without splashing hot oil in my eyes.  I can poach an egg and bake with yeast.  But I have always had a serious hole in my skills set.  My pie crust have always sucked.  I tried.  I have three recipes that I followed to the letter.  yuck always.

Until yesterday!  Carla Hall and the good folks at The Chew made and posted a recipe for an Apple Cranberry Pie.  While on the show, Carla shows a premade pie crust with just a toss away line that should you prefer, you are welcome to use a store bought.  I was very disappointed as I really wanted a lesson on pie crust.

But, when I looked up the recipe on the website, click HERE, I was frightened to see that Carla had added a recipe for a pie crust.  Well, in for a pound and all that (and besides, I had the ingredients in my pantry, no need to go to the store), I decided once more into the breach dear friends, once more.

AND I DID IT!  Just as good as any restaurant or grandma pie crust and MUCH better than the store bought cardboard!

I do have one issue with the recipe.  Carla has us divide the dough into two balls.  She then never refers to the balls.  The pie on the show (and in the photo on the website) does not show a top crust.  But, with all due respect to Carla and the website editors, the photo is ugggggggggly.  Click HERE and see what I mean.

Now, had I known that the crust would be so good, I probably would have done a lattice top.  Instead I used a cut out form that my wife had bought at a local Cider fest.

Not as pretty as a lattice top, but certainly prettier than Carla's pie.

I made another BIG change in Carla's recipe, but somewhat with her permission.  During the commentary on the show she mentioned other options besides cranberries.  Dried Cherries or raisins were what she mentioned.  But I had fresh Peaches...

So, again... I had everything and did not need to go to the store if I used peaches.  I chose fresh fruit that I had over dried cranberries that I would have needed to buy.  So, as you can see, it was a matter of layers.  Layer half the apples on the bottom, all of the peach slices next (I used 4 apples and 2 peaches)  and the remaining apples on the top...

See...

And finally, a word about the crumblies on top!  GREAT.  It is a combination of butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, pecans and flour.  Just perfect.  When I make this recipe, I am planning to add some of the crumblies in between the layers of fruit.  But not this time...

I then topped with the second pie crust and baked as explained in the recipe.

And so, Carla, Great recipe.  And I certainly must thank you for the pie crust recipe...

BUT, mine is prettier