kitchen table math, the sequel: Chocolate Pecan Pie & Fractions

Sunday, December 23, 2007

Chocolate Pecan Pie & Fractions

I have been baking chocolate pecan pie almost every Christmas for over 20 years. Tonight my 5th grade daughter helped me with this recipe:

CHOCOLATE PECAN PIE
1 pie shell, unbaked
Filling:
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate
3 large eggs
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup dark corn syrup or sugar cane syrup
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 tablespoons bourbon or rum (optional)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups pecan halves
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
To make the filling: melt the butter and chocolate in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, remove from heat and let cool. Beat the eggs in a large mixing bowl until frothy and then blend in the sugar. Stir in the syrup, vanilla, bourbon, salt, and the melted butter mixture until well blended.
Arrange the pecans on the bottom of the pie crust and carefully pour the egg mixture over them. Bake until the filling is set and slightly puffed, about 45-50 minutes. Test for doneness by sticking a thin knife in the center of the pie, if it comes out pretty clean, you're good to go. Transfer the pie to rack and cool completely before cutting.

We made two pies because we’re having 15 guests for dinner on Christmas Day. My daughter instantly converted all the fractions to the quantities needed for two pies. She was faster than I was. It may not seem like such a great achievement to some, but to me it was wonderful.

Thank you, Kumon!

3 comments:

Catherine Johnson said...

This is GREAT!

It's funny.

I woke up this morning hoping someone would have posted a recipe!

Catherine Johnson said...

I'm going to have to post my painted butter cookies recipe.

I used to make those every Christmas (very labor intensive) -- they're so beautiful I could take them to parties and they'd be the conversation piece.

Unknown said...

Ever had Derby Pie? The name's copyrighted, so I didn't use it in the title, but it's a Kentucky specialty. Here's the recipe:

http://www.grouprecipes.com/9719/mrs-dee-huddlestons-run-for-the-roses-pie.html