No, not the alcohol. The food. Specifically, the desserts. There is nothing like a food or dessert made with real butter, real sugar, and real love. Ones that’ll make a diabetic cry and a non-diabetic snap into a fetal position.

Maybe I’ve been watching too much True Blood, maybe I’ve read too many Charlaine Harris and Anne Rice novels, maybe I’ve watched ‘The Skeleton Key‘ too many times… but I’ve been craving some Southern fare. Fried chicken, real homemade mashed potatoes, shrimp creole, red velvet cake… and pecan pie.

Tradition holds that the French invented pecan pie soon after settling in New Orleans, after being introduced to the nut by Native Americans.^[5] It is sometimes referred to as “New Orleans pecan pie,” adding an aura of French cuisine to a home-cooked comfort food.^[6] Attempts to trace the dish’s origin, however, have not found any recipes dated earlier than 1925, and well-known cookbooks such as Fannie Farmer and The Joy of Cooking did not include it before 1940.^[7]

The makers of Karo syrup popularized the dish and many of its recipes. Karo Syrup’s own website contends that the dish was a 1930s “discovery” of a “new use for corn syrup” by a corporate sales executive’s wife.^[8]

So I looked around at two of my favorite Southern cooks’ recipes (Emeril Lagasse & Paula Deen) and picked one I liked. It just so happens to be Emeril’s! It’s not a 100% traditional pecan pie, having chocolate in it, but the reviews were excellent and I figured how bad could adding a little chocolate be? I’m normally not a pie person- I hate fruit pies altogether. I do like chocolate cream pies or coconut cream pies occasionally. But I love pies like this (and Shoo fly pie); sticky, gooey, and basically nothin’ but sugar baked in a crust.

Having never made a pecan pie before, I stuck with Emeril’s suggestion that I stick with a pre-made pie crust, just for times sake. But it turned out to not take much time at all, so by all means, if you’ve got the time, a good recipe and you feel like it, make your own crust. Next time, I’ll either buy a refrigerated pie crust or make my own- the shortbread crust I bought was okay, but I’d have preferred a “doughier” one.

When you serve it, I think you should say “BAM!”

CHOCOLATE PECAN PIE

Ingredients:

• 1 unbaked 9-inch pie shell
• 1 ½ cups pecans
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 4 eggs, beaten
• ½ cup sugar
• ½ cup light brown sugar
• ¼ cup Steen’s 100 percent Pure Cane Syrup
• ¼ cup corn syrup
• ½ teaspoon vanilla
• Pinch of salt

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375° F degrees.
2. Spread the pecan pieces and the chocolate chips evenly on the bottom of the pie shell.
3. In a mixing bowl, whisk the remaining ingredients together. Pour the filling over the pecans.
4. Bake for about 1 hour or until the filling sets. Cool for 10 minutes before slicing.

I put the pecans on the top of the pie, for aesthetic reasons. But you could put some on the bottom and some on the top as well, or just go by the recipe. I also was unable to get Steen’s cane syrup, so I just used ½ cup Karo dark corn syrup. And if you want to eliminate the chocolate chips, you definitely can. You can also add a tablespoon of bourbon, if that’s your bag.

In the end, I’ve officially decided pecan pie is synonymous with AWESOME. However, this isn’t the ultimate recipe. I’m still on the lookout for a really perfect one. If anyone out there has one, please feel free to send it to me: cupcake.rehab@gmail.com!

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