Twice-Baked Pecan Pie

Woohoo, 2 posts in 2 days!!!  Don't you feel special?  You should, because I did it just for you ;)

So, this week's pie was Chocolate Pecan Pie.  Kaitlin had the pie at a work party and loved it so much she snagged the recipe for me.  I've never had pecan pie of any kind before, so I was a little bit nervous, especially considering I'm not a big pecan fan.  But this year is all about trying new things and pushing my limits, so I decided to give it a go!  Also, it's a seasonal pie.  Also, I'm short on recipes.  SEND THEM!!!

Okay, so I had to first toast the pecans, so I threw them into my skillet and flipped on the heat (a rather simple step, provided that you don't burn them, which I didn't.  Okay, maybe one or two.  But still).  So as I was tossing them, I started shaking the pan around and I did one of those cool flip things that you see chefs do on tv where whatever's cooking (in my case, pecans) flies up the back of the skillet and falls back down in a graceful wave-like movement.  And it totally worked!  And it was awesome!  So I did it a lot, even though it probably wasn't necessary.

It was necessary to my amusement and morale though...

So then I made my crust and I actually succeeded at a fancy edge!  It was all crimped and looking super awesome.  Oh, and I tried out a new crust recipe, which had about twice as many ingredients as mine usually does.

To make it a chocolate pecan pie, I added a layer of melted dark chocolate to the bottom of the crust, then layered in the pecans, and then poured the syrup mixture over top.  It was here that I ran into my first of many problems.  I should've learned from last week's pie, but I didn't... my pan is FAR too large for regular recipes.  Luckily I had enough ingredients to whip up another batch and pour over the top, which almost filled the crust.  Seriously, this could turn into quite the problem, money-wise.

So I put the pie in the oven and set the timer for the required 50 minutes.  25 minutes in, however, the second problem came about... I realized I was supposed to meet my friend Kelsey in Springfield (which is 30 minutes away) in 30 minutes.  I can hear your whispers... F-A-I-L.

I panicked and pulled the pie out of the oven (I don't have anyone around that could've gotten it for me later), threw it on my counter, half-baked, and ran off to S'field.  We had coffee (I haven't seen that lady in forever!), it was lovely, and then I bolted back.

I called my dad on the way and asked what I should do... though he warned me it would likely be an epic fail, he suggested I put it back in the oven for twice as long as it had to go (since it would have to get back up to temperature before cooking again) and pray for the best (hence the "twice-baked" part).

Which I did.  I crossed my fingers, said a few prayers, and hoped for something edible to come out of the ordeal.  This is an expensive pie, folks, I couldn't let it be for naught!

So I checked it after 50 minutes and it still seemed jiggly, so I left it in and checked it until it firmed up.  Unfortunately, my beautiful crust was now totally burnt, but it was the filling I was most concerned about this time.

I whipped up some homemade whipped cream to go along with it (just in case it was awful, I figured we would need something to wash it down).  And when I say whipped, I mean whipped.  I poured whipping cream and sugar in a bowl, took my newly purchased whisk, and went to town!  It took five full minutes and my arm was exhausted, but I made homemade whipped cream!  Booyah!

Okay... the final result!  It didn't slice all that well, but the double baking could be to blame for that (the pecans didn't rise to the top, but rather were mixed throughout, making it a bugger to cut).  However, it tasted fantastic!  For not being a pecan fan, I really loved it.  It was really rich, so the whipped cream helped to cut some of that out, and other than the back crust (burnt, burnt, burnt), it was awesome.  The only thing I can really think of that could be improved is the chocolate... I should add more next time.  I also don't feel I can judge the crust just yet, as it was pretty much ruined by my excessive baking.  I can't wait to do this one again (so I know what it's really supposed to taste like) as well as to experiment with other pecan pies.  Yum-O!

The scores!
Appearance: 15/20
Taste: 20/25
Crust: 15/20
Filling: 17/20
Originality: 12/15
Total: 81/100

The comments!

The Good:
"For a pie full of nuts I don't even like, it was very good."
"Delish."
"Overall, it was pretty good for a pecan pie... and most of the issues I had with it was simply because it was pecan."
"The bottom [of the crust] was good.  Also the waving was nice."

The In-Between:
"I think when you are able to do it the way it's supposed to be done, it will be even better!"
"Very delicious but the crust was a little burnt."
"I think I like your old crust better."
"The filling was good, but would have been better without the pecans (which also tasted a little burnt... or is that just how pecans taste?"

The Bad:
"The filling was weird for me.  I know it's supposed to be similar to baby food with nut chunks, but I didn't like that."
"Not the prettiest one... but maybe just because pecan pie always looks weird to me."
"Couldn't taste the chocolate too much, so it was a little like regular pecan pie."

So that about covers it!  Unfortunately, no pictures just yet, but I'll have them soon! 

I'm now off to Michigan for my sister's wedding!  And then Thanksgiving (where I'm baking pies!).  A blog to follow!

In case I don't get back here before... HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!  Enjoy your family, laugh a lot, and EAT PIE!!!