Thanksgiving Favorites... Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie, An All Time Favorite

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One of Lindaraxa's most popular posts published six years ago. 

Now that I live in the South, the DEEP South, I think it would only be appropriate to have pecan pie as my other dessert on Thanksgiving.  I have been mulling whether to have pecan pie or chocolate pecan pie or chocolate bourbon pecan pie and the choice was made for me last night by my friend Libby Wilkie who publishes the beautiful blog An Eye for Detail.  Isn't that what friends are for? Although I have to admit that the bourbon part is my contribution. Who wouldn't exchange that for vanilla extract, especially on Thanksgiving!

Pecan trees are so abundant in this part of Georgia that they are all over my son's backyard.  The area where he lives used to be a pecan farm in the middle of what is now a suburb of Atlanta.  Maybe I can get them to gather some  for me, since, after all, the pumpkin pie filling is a product of our visit together to the pumpkin farm last month.  Talking about home grown pies!

One of the most important things about this pie is toasting the pecans beforehand.  Really, do go the extra mile, it makes a world of difference as far as flavor is concerned.  Place whole or halved pecans on an ungreased sheet pan and toast in a 350 degree oven for 10-12 minutes, stirring a few times until light brown and fragrant. Let cool and set aside.  Don't go overboard on the pecans. Just add what it says in the recipe or you will overwhelm the pie  Been there, done that.

 Don't scrimp on quality when it comes to making the best chocolate pecan pie for the holidays. As important as toasted and roasted pecans are to this pie, so is the type of chocolate used. Gourmet chocolate would include such brands as; Lindt chocolate, Ghirardelli chocolate and Callebaut chocolate. Mini chocolate chips are easy to use, and shaved or finely chopped dark chocolate works well too. These two ingredients -- toasted or roasted pecans and gourmet chocolate -- will be the deciding factor between a so-so chocolate pecan pie and a knock-your-socks-off, have-to-have-some-now chocolate pecan pie! A few drops of Bourbon won't hurt either.


Servings:  8 - 10

Ingredients

1 deep dish 9 inch basic pie crust

3/4 cup gourmet chocolate chips or shaved dark chocolate

1 1/2 cup toasted pecans, shelled and chopped in half if desired

1/3 cup butter, melted

3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed

3/4 cup Karo light corn syrup

3 large eggs

3 TB Bourbon

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 Degrees F with rack in lowest position.  Prepare pie crust ahead of time  whether you are making one or buying one already made such as Mrs. Smith's. Place toasted pecans in the bottom of the unbaked pie shell (don't worry, they will rise to the top when the pie is fully baked ). Sprinkle chocolate chips or shaved chocolate over the pecans. Place the pie crust on a baking sheet to prevent drips and set aside.

Melt butter in a medium saucepan. Turn off heat. Add brown sugar, stir until dissolved and pour into a large mixing bowl. Mix well with the whisk attachment.

Add corn syrup and mix again. Scrape.

Mix in bourbon and eggs, beating to mix well, but not foamy.

Carefully pour batter over the chocolate chips and pecans, being careful not to disturb them.

Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 50 to 60 minutes or until top is slightly browned and puffed up. This will fall during cooling.  Make sure you let the pie cool on a wire rack for at least 4 hours.

Chocolate Pecan Pie cuts best when it is chilled. Use a sharp knife. Let cool completely before wrapping. This pie freezes well, so make extra!



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Wild Rice With Dried Cranberries, Apricots And Butternut Squash

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I have been wanting to try this recipe ever since I saw it on the Williams Sonoma site.  It reminds me of Ottolenghi, whose recipes you know I adore, and it has everything I love in a dish to accompany poultry, including a delicate nutty flavor.   

I have been feeling guilty about not posting Thanksgiving recipes lately seeing that the holiday is next week and knowing that a lot of you are looking for new ideas and not posts about my beautiful roses.  First of all, we have been moving my mother to her "garden apartment" the last couple of weeks so my mind has not been on entertaining but on boxes.  Added to that is the fact that I have been posting Thanksgiving menus for the past five years and this is one of the meals I try not to vary much  How many ways can you cook a turkey, or make a stuffing, or improve on sweet potato casserole with marshmallows, or a green bean casserole with fried onions, or pumpkin and pecan pies?  They are all here including various cranberry sauces and chutney.  Just do a search or go to the MASTER RECIPE INDEX at the top.  But this? this is special and it's worth posting about.  It. would be an excellent addition or substitution as a side dish for the holiday or as part of a weekday meal of roast chicken, like the one we had last night.

If you want a simple Thanksgiving, for maybe two or three, this is your ticket to a no fuzz holiday.  Maybe a green vegetable and a good store bought pie and you, my friend, are off the hook!

It was really tough having to practice this recipe before I posted it.  Really tough....

And making these chicken thighs to go with it was also really tough.  Preparation took all of five minutes.  The things I go through for my fans.....

I made a couple of changes to the recipe by using this brown and wild rice mix which I much prefer to just wild rice. To me wild rice always tastes tough and always manages to get between my teeth or stuck at the back of my throat making me concentrate on getting it out delicately without anyone else guessing what's going on. Here you have more room to maneuver and besides I like the relative softness of the brown rice in the mix.  I also used chicken instead of vegetable stock for more flavor but go the vegan route if you must.   At the end, drizzle a small amount of the drippings from the turkey or roast chicken . That's the icing on the cake!

By the way, I roasted the squash alongside the chicken alternating the temperature between 375 and 400 to accommodate both.  No problem, as you can see.

For Thanksgiving, you might want to substitute dried cranberries for the cherries.

I made enough chicken and rice to save for leftovers tonight.  Or did I?  

This will be the battleground at the dinner table tonight.  I see only two small portions and three hungry ladies .  I have my bets...

Wild Rice Pilaf with Dried Cherries, Apricots and Butternut Squash

2 Tbs. unsalted butter

1 small sweet onion, such as Vidalia, chopped

2 tsp. curry powder

2 cups (12 oz./375 g) wild rice, I used Royal Blend Texmati wild and brown rice

1 cinnamon stick

1 orange zest strip, about 3 inches (7.5 cm) long and 1/2 inch (12 mm) wide

4 1/2 cups (36 fl. oz./1. 1 l) chicken or vegetable stock

1/2 cup (2 oz./60 g) diced dried apricots

1/2 cup (2 oz./60 g) dried pitted cherries or cranberries

1 small butternut squash, halved, seeded, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch (12-mm) pieces

2 tsp. olive oil

Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

1/2 cup (2 oz.) chopped toasted pecans

Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).

In a large, wide saucepan over medium-low heat, melt the butter. Add the onion and sauté, stirring occasionally, until tender and golden, about 5 minutes. Add the curry powder and stir to combine. Stir in the wild rice, cinnamon stick and orange zest and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes.

Add the broth, apricots and cherries to the saucepan and increase the heat to high. Bring to a boil, stirring once. Cover, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook until the broth is absorbed and the rice is tender, about 55 minutes. Remove from the heat and let stand, covered, for 10 minutes.  If you are cooking with the wild and brown rice blend, uncover,check if rice is done, let some of the steam out, stir with a fork, lay a folded paper towel on top of the rice and replace cover.

While the rice is cooking, in a large bowl, toss the squash with the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Spread the squash in a single layer on a baking sheet and roast until golden brown outside and thoroughly tender inside, about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and cover to keep warm.

To assemble, transfer the rice mixture to a serving bowl. Remove cinnamon stick and orange zest and discard. Fold in the roasted squash and pecans, season to taste with salt and pepper, and serve immediately. Serves 6 to 8.

If you are serving alongside turkey or chicken, drizzle some of the juices from the pan.

Roast chicken thighs

Marinade chicken thighs in lime and orange juice, mashed garlic and chopped onions.  Sprinkle some Herbs de Provence on top, salt and pepper. Cut butter in cubes and lay one on top of each thigh Cook at 375 for around 50 minutes.  Turn the oven to broil and cook until skin is browned.  

Adapted from Williams-Sonoma Test Kitchen
Photos Lindaraxa

Thinking Ahead...Turkey Stock And Tips

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I know you are probably disappointed in the title of this post, perhaps expecting a new twist on sweet potatoes or pumpkin pie for next week's Thanksgiving dinner; but I am probably giving you the most important recipe of the whole meal.  So, listen up and read on! 

 

Stocks are the building blocks of cuisine and essential in the success of  a dish.  They are the difference between okay and fantastic.

In the case of Thanksgiving, a good turkey stock is a fundamental component of the gravy and the stuffing as well as the flavor and moisture of the meat that comes from basting the bird while cooking  You can also freeze it and use it later in some classic leftovers like Turkey Tetrazzini or Turkey Chili, to name a few.

 

  This  recipe yields more than enough for the gravy, basting the turkey and adding some to the stuffing before and after it cooks.    You'll be happy to have the extra when it comes time to make soup.

 

Roasting the turkey and vegetables before simmering them results in a dark stock that takes you more than halfway to a rich brown gravy. On Thanksgiving Day, bring the gravy base or stock to a simmer on the stove top. Add some wine, port or Madeira,  if you wish. To thicken it, whisk in a mixture of equal parts flour and butter, known as beurre manie.When the turkey comes out of the oven, whisk pan drippings into the base to boost the flavor. Skim off the excess fat or strain and your gravy is ready to go.

 

 If you think this is too much work and can't be bothered, think again. Gravy tops the list of intimidating Thanksgiving tasks, especially since you need to make it at the last-minute. There is nothing more nerve wrecking than having to make something with everyone crowding your kitchen to watch the turkey come out of the oven and asking how they can help.  Making a gravy, THE GRAVY, at this particular moment is the last thing you want to do.   For some people this is the make or break component of the entire meal and the one on which your entire meal will be judged.  If the gravy is good, the entire meal is a success. Well, I have news for you.  This turkey stock is a great gravy base.  Not only will your gravy be more than halfway done, it will be fantastic and so will your stuffing and anything else you care to make with the leftovers.

 

 

So get cracking and make some this week.  You will be very happy you did this.  Trust me.

 

Stock Tips 

1. Always start with cold water.  Skim off the foam that comes to the top so you will end up with clear stock. 

2. Most stocks include the classic seasoning vegetables of chopped garlic, celery, onions and carrots called a "mirepoix" but use them in moderation so they don't overwhelm the flavor of the meat

3. Don't caramelize the vegetables together with the meat.  Roast separately or sautee them in a pan on top of the stove.  They give off steam and prevents the browning.  They also soak fat.

4. A good stock simmers uncovered for at least 6 hours.  The longer the better.

5. The turkey or chicken parts should be chopped in small pieces to get a complete extraction of their flavor.  

6. Purchase a heavy stock pot with at least a 12 cup capacity.  (You can boil spaghetti or steam lobsters in it also

7. If you don't have room to freeze all the stock, boil the strained batch of stock until reduced by half.  Freeze the concentrated stock in containers.  Reconstitute by adding an equal part of water to bring it back to its original volume.

   
   And here is the most important...A good meat stock is made with uncooked meat and bones, not with cooked leftover meat or bones! 

    

 

 

Turkey Stock

Makes  about 13 cups

• Active Time:20 min
• Start to Finish:4 1/2 hr to 7 hours

Ingredients:

• 6 lb turkey parts such as wings, drumsticks, and thighs
• 3 medium yellow onions, left unpeeled, trimmed and halved
• 3 celery ribs, cut into 2-inch lengths
• 3 carrots, quartered
• 5 qt cold water
• 6 fresh parsley stems (without leaves)
• 1 Turkish or 1/2 California bay leaf
• 10 black peppercorns
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt

• Special equipment:
  
  a 17- by 14-inch flameproof roasting pan
  
  

• If using turkey wings, halve at joints with a cleaver or large knife, then crack wing bones in several places with back of cleaver or knife. (Do not crack bones if using other parts.) Pat turkey dry.
• Put oven rack in lowest position of oven and preheat oven to 500°F. Roast turkey parts, skin sides down, in dry roasting pan, turning over once, until browned well, about 45 minutes. Transfer to an 8- to 10-quart stockpot with tongs, reserving fat in roasting pan
• Add onions (cut sides down), celery, and carrots to fat in pan and roast, stirring halfway through roasting, until golden, about 20 minutes total. Add vegetables to turkey in stockpot.  DO NOT ROAST THE VEGETABLES TOGETHER WITH THE TURKEY PARTS AS THEY WILL STEAM AND PREVENT THE MEAT FROM BROWNING.  I like to Sautee these instead in the stock pan so they will caramelize, but either method is fine.
  
  
• Straddle pan across 2 burners, then add 2 cups water and deglaze by boiling, stirring and scraping up brown bits, 1 minute. Add deglazing liquid to turkey and vegetables in stockpot, then add parsley, bay leaf, peppercorns, salt, and remaining 4 1/2 quarts cold water. Reduce heat and gently simmer, partially covered, at least 3 hours.  I usually simmer mine 6 hours to get a more concentrated stock which takes less room to freeze.  When needed I dilute with water.
• Pour stock through a large fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl, discarding solids. If using immediately, let stand until fat rises to top, 1 to 2 minutes, then skim off and discard fat. If not, cool completely, uncovered, then chill, covered, before skimming fat (it will be easier to remove when cool or cold).

Cooks' note: Stock can be chilled in an airtight container 1 week or frozen 3 months.


Stock recipe adapted from Gourmet Magazine
Photos Pinterest