Autumn Pie To Fall For!

Bourbon Chocolate Pie with Brown Sugar Pecan Crust

Chocolate Bourbon Pie + Mint & a Brown Sugar Pecan Crust

Ingredients

For the Brown Sugar Pecan Crust:

• 3 cups raw pecans
• 5 tablespoons light brown sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces

For the Bourbon Chocolate Filling:

• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 12 ounces bittersweet chocolate (56% cocoa), chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
• 1 teaspoon Creme de Menthe (depending on taste preferences)
• 2-3 tablespoons bourbon (depending on taste preferences)
• Cocoa powder for dusting (optional)

For the Candied Mint Leaves:

• 25-40 mint leaves (depending on size of leaves & tart, less is needed for tartlets)
• 1 egg white
• 1 teaspoons water
• 1 cup ultrafine sugar

Instructions

For the Brown Sugar Pecan Crust:

1. Position rack in the center of the oven.
2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
3. Spray a 9-inch pie pan with cooking spray & set aside.
4. Pulse pecans, brown sugar, cinnamon, & salt in a food processor until coarsely chopped.
5. Add butter & pulse until the mixture is finely ground and comes together.
6. Press pecan mixture into a 9″ pie pan or 6-8 four-inch tart pans.
7. Bake until lightly browned (about 15 minutes).
8. Set aside on a cooling rack until ready to fill.

For the Bourbon Chocolate Filling:

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
2. Place the milk & cream in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Bring to a boil.
3. Place the chocolate pieces in a big bowl & pour the hot cream over the top of the chocolate pieces.
4. Allow the cream & chocolate mixture to rest for 5 minutes, then add the salt.
5. Whisk gently until the chocolate is fully melted.
6. Separately, whisk eggs in a medium-sized bowl.
7. Slowly stream a small amount of chocolate into the eggs, whisking as you pour. Continue to do this until the egg mixture feels warm to the touch.
8. Pour the egg-chocolate mixture back into the chocolate.
9. Stir in the peppermint extract & creme de menthe.
10. Pass the filling through a fine-mesh sieve directly into the pie shells.
11. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the edges are set and the center is still wobbly but no longer liquid. Note: The filling will continue to cook and set after the pie is removed from the oven. The pie will become dry if you over bake.
12. Allow the pie to cool completely on a wire rack.

For the Candied Mint Leaves:

1. Place sugar in a food processor & blend until superfine (about 1 minute). Alternatively, you can buy ultra-fine sugar at the supermarket.
2. Whisk together the egg white & water.
3. Dip your fingers in the egg white & rub a very thin layer onto mint leaves. Note: For the white sugared appearance it is important to use a very thin layer. Squeeze any excess off before applying the sugar.
4. Sprinkle the sugar on both sides of the mint leaves. If you reuse the sugar for remaining leaves, I suggest placing this sugar in a fine-mesh sieve as it will filter out any of the sugar that has clumped.
5. Shake excess sugar off.
6. Work in batches to avoid egg white drying before sugar is applied.
7. Place the sugared leaves on a wire rack & allow to sit at room temperature or until the leaves become crispy.
8. The leaves can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks. If stored, allow them to re-crisp by sitting uncovered at room temperature before they are consumed.

Note:

1. I used an 11-inch tart pan. Given my pan was bigger & I wanted a thicker crust, I used 3 1/2 cups of pecans, 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, 7 tablespoons brown sugar, 2 teaspoons of cinnamon & 3/4 teaspoon salt.
2. Since my 11-inch tart pan was shallow, I cut the recipe for the filling in half. If you decide to make 4-inch tartlets, you will also want to cut the recipe for the filling in half.
3. I placed 4 tablespoons of the nut crust in each tartlet pan.