When we first moved to Bainbridge, we didn’t know a soul. We’d never even visited the island! As part of our exploring, Lily and I took a pie-making class at Heyday Farm. It was the kind of thing we never seemed to have time for before we moved.
As we pulled up to the farm, we were charmed right away by the cheerful yellow 1890s farmhouse. Shari Stoddard, who has the wonderful-sounding job of “farm host,” escorted us into the beautiful dining room where cooking stations were ready and waiting. Our instructor, Tifanie Swolgaard Mitsui, taught us how to make apple pies and then we gathered around the big counter in the kitchen and watched as she demonstrated how to make a chocolate pecan pie. And then we went back to the dining room, where a delicious lunch had been laid out for us. Lily was twelve at the time and I was proud of her for jumping right into the pie making and the lunchtime conversation.
This chocolate pecan pie has become the Official Favorite of our family. We make it for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and any other occasion that would be better with pie. I made one last night for the Teacher Appreciation Lunch at Lily’s school today. Conferences can be exhausting, so hopefully the staff will feel energized by the “cozy” theme of soups, breads, and pies.
Pie crust is really easy to make, so if you have a few extra minutes (honestly, just a few), it’s completely worth it. But a store-bought crust like Pet-Ritz works great, too.
Chocolate Pecan Pie
Makes 1 pie
Ingredients:
1 pie crust (see below)
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup butter
4 eggs, beaten
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1-1/3 cups pecans, chopped
whipped cream for serving (optional)
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
In a small saucepan, combine sugar, corn syrup, and butter. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until butter melts and sugar dissolves. Cool slightly.
In a large bowl, combine eggs, vanilla, and salt. Mix well. Slowly pour sugar mixture into egg mixture, whisking constantly. Stir in chocolate chips and pecans. Pour mixture into pie shell.
Bake in preheated oven for about 60 minutes or until set and golden. The pie will jiggle just a bit in the middle. May be served warm or chilled. Cool completely at room temperature before placing the pie in the refrigerator.
Pie Crust
Makes enough for one double crust pie
Ingredients:
1-1/2 cups all purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup Crisco butter shortening, heaping
1/4 ice water
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. In a food processor or by hand, cut the shortening into the flour until the size of the shortening resembles peas.
Add the ice water and mix. Roll the dough out onto a floured surface until smooth and to desired thickness.
To bake a one-crust pie, bake the pie at 425 degrees for 12 minutes. To bake a two-crust pie, bake the pie at 375 degrees for 20 minutes, then at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
Yum!