Bourbon Pecan Pie
Next up in my Thanksgiving recipe series is pie! Because is it really Thanksgiving if there is no pie? Well I have taken the traditional pecan pie and added a twist to make it even better, enter bourbon! I am a huge fan of the creamy caramel flavors of bourbon and they go really well with a traditional pecan pie. A couple notes about this recipe. First the crust is just for fun. You don't have to do it. Instead you could just flute the edges or even make a pattern with the back of a fork. Also if bourbon isn't your thing, just skip it. Lastly, I obviously made that pattern on the top of the pie. If you want to do it, just reserve about 1 1/2 cups of the pecans before they are folded into the base of the pie and then make the decoration on top by laying the pecans flat in a circular pattern.
Tip: My recipe calls for 3 cups of pecans. I was using a normal Pyrex pie plate. However since pie plates tend to vary in size and depth, the best way to tell how many cups of pecans you need is to fill your pie plate with pecans when it is empty. Fill it full but not overflowing, knowing that the filling will expand a little when baking. I do this with a lot of my pies so I know how exactly much filling to make.
Bourbon Pecan Pie
2 rounds pie dough
4 eggs
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup dark corn syrup
4 Tbs. butter, melted
2 Tbs. bourbon
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. salt
3 cups pecans
When ready to make the pecan pie roll out 1 of the rounds of dough into into a 12" circle, about 1/8" thick. Using your rolling pin, carefully transfer dough to pie dish. If making the leaf design, roll remaining pie dough out to a 12" circle, about 1/8" thick. Carefully punch out leaf decorations (or decoration of your choice) and place cut outs on a parchment lined baking sheet. Place both the pie dish with the rolled out dough and the leaf cutouts in the refrigerator for at least an hour.
Pre-heat oven to 350° F.
Blind bake the pie crust by covering with tin foil, filling with pie weights and baking for about 15 minutes. Carefully remove pie weights and cook for another 5 minutes or until golden brown. Let crust cool to room temperature.
Make the filling:
In a large bowl combine the eggs, brown sugar, both corn syrups, butter, bourbon, vanilla and salt. Stir well to combine. Fold in pecans. Pour pecans into pie crust and bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until golden brown and when a knife is inserted into the middle it comes out clean.
Let cool to room temperature and serve with whipped cream.
Serves 8 to 10