While it’s not polite to eat dessert first, sometimes it’s difficult to avoid a little indulgence. Such is the case with the following recipe for Pecan Fudge Pie courtesy of Mollie Cox Bryan’s “Mrs. Rowe’s Little Book of Southern Pies” (Ten Speed Press).
Pecan Fudge Pie
Makes one 10-inch pie
½ recipe Plain Pie Pastry (see below)
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
4 eggs, beaten
1 cup light corn syrup
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
½ teaspoon salt
1 ½ cups coarsely chopped pecans
Preheat the oven to 350º F. Line a 10-inch pie plate with the rolled-out crust.
Melt the chocolate chips in a double broiler, stirring occasionally. Combine the eggs, corn syrup, butter, vanilla and salt and stir until thoroughly combined. Gradually add the chocolate to the egg mixture while stirring rapidly.
Stir in the pecans. Spread the filling evenly in the crust.
Bake for 55 minutes, or until set, when a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack for 1 hour before slicing. Serve at room temperature.
Plain Pie Pastry
Makes two 9- or 10-inch crusts
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup vegetable shortening
5 – 7 tablespoons cold milk
Sift the flour and salt into a bowl. Cut in the shortening with a pastry blender until it is the size of small peas. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the milk over part of the flour mixture. Gently toss with a fork and push to the side of the bowl.
Sprinkle another tablespoon of milk over another dry part, toss with a fork and push to the side of the bowl. Sprinkle another tablespoon of milk over another dry part, toss with a fork and push to the side of the bowl. Repeat with the remaining milk until all of the flour mixture is moistened.
Press the dough together to form 2 equal balls, then flatten into disks. Roll out the crusts right away, or wrap the dough tightly, smoothing out any little wrinkles or air pockets, and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks. On a lightly floured surface, roll out each ball to a thickness of 1/8 inch. Use a light touch and handle the dough as little as possible.
To prebake an empty crust, preheat the oven to 400º F. Press 1 rolled-out crust into a 9- or 10-inch pie plate. Line with parchment paper and weight the crust down with dry beans or pie weights to keep the crust from bubbling or shrinking. Bake for 10 minutes, until firm and lightly browned.
To parbake the crust, remove it from the oven after about 10 to 20 minutes, when you first see a golden hue to the crust.
