Thanksgiving Series: Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie

This year for Thanksgiving I wanted to try a new recipe, and dessert is my favorite thing to make.  I got the recipe from here and didn't change it a whole lot.

• 1 deep dish 9 inch pie shell
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 cup light corn syrup
• 1/2 cup butter
• 4 eggs, beaten
• 1/4 cup bourbon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup dark chocolate chips
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• Enough pecan halves to cover the top of the pie

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.  In a saucepan combine the sugar, corn syrup, and butter and cook over medium heat until the butter melts and sugar dissolves.  In a large bowl combine the eggs, bourbon, and vanilla.  Pour the egg mixture into the sugar mixture, whisking constantly.  Stir in the chocolate chips and the chopped pecans and stir until the chocolate chips have melted.  Pour into the pie shell.  Layer the pecan halves on top.  Bake for 50-55 minutes or until set and golden.  

Savory Bread Pudding

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I have enjoyed watching The Great British Baking Show, and I have realized that my bread making abilities have been sorely neglected.  Consequently, every few months I attempt to make a basic French bread, and every time thus far, it has been inedible.  So, to use up all this dense bread, I have perfected a savory bread pudding that is oh so tasty!

• 2 loaves of dried out French bread, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1 12-oz. package of bacon
• 1 6-oz. package of dried apricots OR 6 fresh apricots, chopped
• 1 onion, diced finely
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon white wine
• A handful of fresh basil, chopped
• 8-oz. crumbled goat cheese
• 16-oz. cream
• 2 cups whole milk
• 6 eggs, beaten
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary

Cook the bacon in the oven according the package directions until crisp.  While the bacon is cooking, sauté the onion in the butter on medium heat.  Once the onion is translucent (about 5 minutes), deglaze the pan with the white wine.  Sauté until the wine is reduced by half, about 2 minutes.  In a small bowl mix together the milk, cream, and eggs.  In a greased 9 X 13 baking dish, layer half of the French bread, half of the bacon, the onion, half of the basil,  half of the goat cheese, half of the apricots, oregano, thyme, and rosemary.  Pour half of the egg mixture over the bread.  Layer the rest of the ingredients and then pour the rest of the egg mixture over the bread.  Let the pudding sit overnight in the fridge.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Bake the bread pudding for about 45 minutes or until it springs back when lightly tapped.  

Cherry Pie

My husband loves fruit pies.  I'm move of a fan of cold pies (which you've probably noticed given that almost every pie recipe I've posted thus far has been a cold pie), but every now and then I'll throw him a bone and make a cherry or apple pie, which are my favorite fruit pies.  I got my cherry pie recipe from here, but naturally, I've changed it up a bit.

Ingredients:

• 2 uncooked 9 inch pie shells
• 3 cans of tart cherries
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons corn starch
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
• 1/4 teaspoon lemon extract

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Drain the cherries and reserve the juice from 1.5 cans.  In a saucepan mix together the cherry juice, sugar, corn starch, cinnamon, almond extract, and lemon extract on medium heat.  Whisk continuously until the mixture thickens, about 15 minutes.  Remove from heat and gently fold in the cherries.  Pour into the pie shell and add top crust.  Bake for 30-40 minutes.  Let cool before serving.