Pies « (y)our food choices™

We’re combining two of the most sacred national holidays Pecan Torte Day and Chocolate Pecan Pie Day into one, with a little booze. And in preparation for the upcoming 5th Annual San Francisco Craft Spirits Carnival, where we’ll be serving up these spirited treats, we’re returning to Jason’s springtime adventure in mass-produced “Bulleit Bites” (bourbon pecan mini-pies) with these boozy beauties. Bulleit Bourbon inspires this chocolate and whiskey-spiked variation of a Southern favorite, pecan pie.

In keeping with the whiskey mash, the pastry includes a mix of corn, rye, and barley flours, as well as a little all-purpose flour. A little adjustment was needed to create the larger pictured here instead of the small bite-sized ones we’ll be making for the carnival crowd.

The crust gets pre-baked with pie weights to insure it is flakey and fully baked. The raw pecans and chocolate are then added with just a little coating of the bourbon caramel. More caramel is added every five minutes of baking to assure that not only are these the most alcoholic pecan pies you’ll ever taste, but that the nuts and chocolate mix together to create a chewy and crunchy concoction.

The squeeze bottle in the pictures was unnecessary for the two tarts. The bourbon, brown sugar, and salt can easily be mixed in a small bowl. The resulting flavors are more complex and nutty. And adding the caramel base in drizzles throughout the baking process ensures the final tart isn’t a parched, dried out mess.

If you think the recipe is intimidating or if you just prefer to eat these tarts instead of baking them yourselves, you’re in luck. In the next couple of months we’ll be fine tuning our next culinary venture, Cheeky Bakery (website is currently under construction) right out of our small one-assed kitchen. We’ll be taking orders for these bites and a few other baked items, so stay tuned!

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Chocolate Pecan Bulleit Tarts
Makes two small tarts with a little extra dough

1/3 cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons corn flour
1/2 tablespoon rye flour
1/2 tablespoon barley flour
3/4 teaspoon brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 stick cold unsalted butter, grated and frozen
1/2 teaspoon bourbon whiskey
1/4 teaspooon vanilla
2 tablespoons ice water, plus more as needed

Mix flours, brown sugar, salt, and baking powder in a medium bowl. Add grated frozen butter to the bowl along with the flours and sprinkle bourbon and vanilla over the top. Using one hand and a plastic scraper, mix flour, butter, and water until the dough comes together when squeezing it into a fist. The dough should not be wet.

Place the dough on a sheet of plastic and shape it into a disc. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before continuing. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees while chilling the disc. Cut the disc in half and roll out the disc until it’s 1/8-1/4″ thick. Place the rolled dough over the tart shell and press the dough into the shell, pressing it into the corners and trimming off the top of the dough to make it look uniformed. Prick the bottom of the shell with a fork and place some crumpled parchment paper over the top of the shell, then add pie weights (or beans) to the shell. Freeze for ten minutes before baking.

Take the shell out of the freezer and place it into the oven with the pie weights still covering the bottom. Bake for 7 minutes, then take off the pie weights and bake for another 3 minutes. Remove the crusts from the oven.

Chocolate Pecan Filling
1/2 cup chopped raw pecans
1.75 ounces good quality dark chocolate, finely chopped
1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup Bulleit Bourbon
1 1/2 tablespoon heavy whipping cream
pinch of kosher salt

Combine pecan and chocolate in medium bowl, set aside. Combine the brown sugar, bourbon, heavy cream, and salt into a small bowl, whisk until there are no lumps.

Add two tablespoons of the caramel to the chocolate and pecans, and mix. Divide the chocolate and pecans into the prebaked shells. Place the shells back in the oven and bake for five minutes. Remove the pies from the oven and drizzle one tablespoon of the caramel over each tart. Place back in the oven and bake another five minutes. Continue adding the caramel every five minutes during baking until all the caramel is in the tarts.

Once completely baked, remove from the oven and allow to rest in the tart pan for at least 15 minutes before removing. Allow to cool completely, about an hour, before serving.

Peaches are ripe and at their peak in July and August. Found just about everywhere at this time of year, the heady perfume of locally ripened warm weather stone fruit is intoxicating. Sweet, tree ripe peaches are perfect on their own. “Enriched” with sugar, spice and butter, they’re sublime.

This garam masala scented crisp is sweet, crunchy and complex. Flavors of cinnamon, clove, cardamom, nutmeg, cumin, and black pepper, pair beautifully with the floral, honeyed flavors of ripe peaches. The crispy topping has a terrific bite and adds texture to the soft stewed fruit. Add a dollop of whipped cream or a scoop of Three Twins dad’s cardamom ice cream for an easy, laid-back summer dessert.

We’re in the peak of Summer’s hot weather, and now’s the time to get those peach crisps and cobblers into the oven, or grill, before the best of them disappear from the market. That is, if you can stand the heat!

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Garam Masala Peach Crisp
Adapted from: epicurious

Ingredients

Filling:
1 1/2 cups pecans
3 pounds peaches (about 8 medium)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1/3 cup (packed) light brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon all purpose flour
1 teaspoon garam masala
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Topping:
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup rye flour
1/2 cup (packed) light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces

Ice Cream, for serving

Preheat oven to 350°F. Toast pecans on a rimmed baking sheet, tossing once, until slightly darkened in color, 8–10 minutes. Let cool, then coarsely chop. Set aside.

To peel the peaches. Prepare an icebath in a medium bowl. Fill a medium sauce pan half way with water and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Score the bottom of each peach with an x. Drop a couple of peaches in the water for about 30 seconds. Scoop out with a spoon and immediately place into ice bath. When the peaches are cool enough to handle peel with a knife or fingers. Repeat with the remaining peaches. Once all the peaches are peeled, slice in half and remove the pits. Cut each peach half into thirds, and then half or thirds again. About 1/2″ pieces.

Smear bottom and sides of a 10″ round baking dish with butter. Toss pecans, brown sugar, granulated sugar, garam masala, flour, and salt in a large bowl. Add the peaches and lemon juice, toss some more until incorporated. Transfer to baking dish. Set aside.

To make the topping, whisk flours, brown sugar, garam masala, and salt in a medium bowl. Rub in butter with your fingers until no clumps form and no dry spots remain, like coarse sand.

Bake crisp until topping is golden brown and juices are thick and bubbling around the edges, 25–35 minutes. Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or to increase the spice add a scoop of Three Twins dad’s cardamom ice cream.

Do Ahead:
Crisp can be made 1 day ahead. Store lightly covered at room temperature.