Pecan Bourbon Pie

Holy moly! I almost forgot it was Thanksgiving. It happens every year; the holiday just sneaks up behind me, with padded feet and whispers about December looming. I never expect the autumn to fly by as quickly as it does.

Then before I know it, there are all of these people in my house. Hungry people. As much as I protest, there’s no comparable feeling of having a house full of family – kids running around, old men sleeping on the couch, cousins watching football, pies in the oven.

But not this year.

This year, I am 3,600 miles and five hours away. Football means something different entirely. Turkey is for Christmas dinner, which is just fine with me, since I hate turkey anyway. But the point is, this is my very first Thanksgiving away from home.

I didn’t realize how much it mattered to me until separated from it all.

After a short bout of acerbic homesickness, I got to the task at hand – cooking and claiming this day as my own. This evening I’ll be gathering with ten of my new friends, fellow international students, and making a great potluck dinner. How interesting to be among the company of strangers for a day meant to celebrate family – yet we feel connected, much like a family, by our shared experience of separation. I’m certainly looking forward to it.

Here’s a dessert that’s sure to be the crowning glory of all your holiday feasts.

A perfect bundle of complexities – sweet and salty, crunchy and gooey. A bit of bourbon gives it warmth. My favorite part of this pie are the whole pecans on top. Serve with homemade vanilla whipped cream and you’re sure to achieve sugary food coma glory.

Just like Mama used to make! :D

Pecan Bourbon Pie

Recipe by Bon Appetit, November 2006

Ingredients:

Crust:

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup cake flour
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• 6 tablespoons (or more) ice water

Filling:

• 6 large eggs
• 1 cup  dark brown sugar
• 1 cup golden brown sugar
• 1 1/3 cups light corn syrup
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
• 1/4 cup bourbon
• 1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon peel

For crust:

Blend both flours, sugar, and salt in processor. Add butter; pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add lemon juice, then six tablespoons ice water; process just until moist clumps form, adding more ice water by teaspoonfuls if dough is dry. Divide dough in half. Gather each half into a ball and flatten into disk. Wrap separately in plastic.

Refrigerate at least 2 hours.

Roll out 1 dough disk on floured surface to 13 1/2- to 14-inch round, about 1/8 inch thick. Transfer dough to 9″ glass pie dish. Trim excess dough, leaving 3/4-inch overhang. Turn overhang under and crimp edge decoratively. Repeat with second dough disk. Refrigerate while preparing filling.

For filling:
Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F. Whisk eggs in large bowl. Whisk in both sugars, then next 5 ingredients. Stir in pecans. Divide filling between prepared crusts.

Bake pies until filling is puffed and just set in center (filling may begin to crack), about 55 minutes. Cool pies completely on rack.