What is your favorite holiday pie?
It’s a toss-up for me when it comes to holiday pies: pumpkin or pecan. I love them both.
Gluten-free Pecan Pie jazzed up with Bourbon and Chocolate
I often lean toward making pecan, mostly because my friends and relatives tend to serve pumpkin pie and this way, I will get to eat both flavors at some point during the 6 week celebration between Thanksgiving and Christmas.
A few years back, I started jazzing up my recipe to include bourbon (yes, it’s gluten-free because it is distilled) and a touch of chocolate. I’m not going to provide the calorie/nutrient information on this recipe because, trust me, you don’t want to know. Just enjoy it and resolve to live well in 2016. You earned the right to enjoy a little decadence this year!
Pie-Crust Challenged?
All of my cookbooks have a pie crust recipe. But, if you’re terrified at the thought of making your own gluten-free pie crust, try mixes from Bob’s Red Mill or Glutino. Or, if you don’t want to mix or shape the dough yourself, buy a ready-made pie crust by Whole Foods or Kinnikinnick. They are sold in ready-to-bake form in an aluminum pie pan, although I prefer using a nonstick pan (gray finish, not black to avoid burning) for better browning. This lessens the potential sogginess sometimes found in gluten-free pie crusts.
Gluten-Free Pecan-Bourbon-Chocolate Pie
Adapted from 1,000 Gluten-Free Recipes by Carol Fenster (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2008)
Among the most decadent of pies, this remains a favorite at my house. Yes, it’s highly-caloric, but you have permission to savor it once a year.
9-inch gluten-free pie crust (recipe in Gluten-Free 101, 1,000 Gluten-Free Recipes)
2 tablespoons milk of choice, for brushing on pastry crust
2 cups pecan halves
¼ cup chocolate chips
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
4 large eggs, at room temperature
2 cups dark (or light) corn syrup
2 tablespoons unsalted butter or buttery spread, at room temperature
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon bourbon or rum (or pure vanilla extract)
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup whipped topping
[1] Place a rack in the bottom position and another in the middle position of oven. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Prepare the pastry dough as directed in your recipe or use a premade crust. Brush outer edges of crust with milk to encourage browning. Arrange pecan halves on bottom of pie crust and sprinkle with chocolate chips.
[2] Make the filling: In a food processor fitted with knife blade, combine filling ingredients and blend until thoroughly combined and very smooth. Pour mixture over pecans in pie shell. Place pie pan on a rimmed baking sheet and place the baking sheet on the bottom rack of the oven.
[3] Bake 20 minutes. Move the pie to the middle rack and continue baking for another 30 to 35 minutes more or until filling is set. If crust starts to brown too quickly, cover with aluminum foil.
[4] Remove pie to wire rack and cool completely on a wire rack before cutting. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving to make sure pie is firm enough to cut. Cut into 8 slices. Serve with a generous tablespoon of whipped topping.
