Pecans reign as the quintessential American nut, especially during the festive season when demand peaks. While the United States boasts a variety of nuts such as walnuts, almonds, pistachios, and hazelnuts, it's the toasted pecan pie that truly embodies holiday tradition for many. Each year, the desire to craft this beloved dessert grips me anew.
Recently, a membership-only store with American origins made its debut in France, causing quite a stir, particularly among American expats. What sets it apart from the typical French hypermarkets are its offerings, including oversized rolls of renowned plastic wrap equipped with exceptional cutters, an array of IPA beers, and, rumor has it, sizable bags of pecans.
Metro has long been a staple mega-store, catering more to restaurant supply needs. However, it's the vast refrigerator housing an unparalleled selection of French cheeses and butter that truly steals the show. Picture entire wheels of Brie and hefty blocks of butter awaiting your selection. The chill inside is so intense that patrons are outfitted with cozy down jackets, a testament to the allure of lingering amidst such culinary delights. Access, however, is reserved for industry professionals.
As the holiday season approaches, my refrigerator space becomes a precious commodity, and while indulging in an entire wheel of Brie sounds tempting, it's simply not practical. Instead, I prioritize stocking up on pecans, which I consider my holiday treasure. Each year, I meticulously haul them back from the States, traversing over 5500 miles across the Atlantic, even braving additional luggage fees at times. The effort may seem excessive, but when it comes to crafting my signature Ginger Pecan Pie or decadent Chocolate Pecan Pie, every pecan is worth its weight in gold. After all, who needs the outskirts of Paris when you can bring a taste of home straight to your kitchen?
When it comes to using my precious pecans, I'm all about ensuring they're destined for a guaranteed crowd-pleaser. That's why I turned to Cathy Barrow's "Pie Squared," a treasure trove of baking expertise. And let me tell you, her recipe was an absolute triumph—a sure-fire hit that had everyone coming back for seconds.
A quarter sheet pan is an absolute must for this recipe. It seems Cathy Barrow and I were thinking along the same lines, as I've been singing the praises of these pans for months now. If you heeded my advice and snagged one, well, I hate to say I told you so... actually, scratch that, I love saying it! And I bet you're glad you listened because these pans are incredibly versatile, perfect not only for making slab pies but for a multitude of other culinary tasks as well. Don't worry if you missed out though; Cathy's got you covered with ingenious hacks using a standard baking sheet in her book.
When it came time to roll out the rich chocolate dough, I encountered a bit of stickiness. Following Cathy's advice, I attempted dusting it with powdered sugar, but soon my kitchen counter resembled a snowstorm aftermath. Thinking on my feet, I grabbed two sizable sheets of parchment paper and rolled the dough between them—an impromptu solution that proved remarkably effective.
While the edges might turn out a tad rustic, that's perfectly fine—contrary to popular belief, taste trumps presentation every time. I mean, imagine trying to eat with your eyes; it'd be quite the spectacle, but I'll stick to using my mouth for that task!
As for capturing picturesque moments of myself rolling dough or getting hands deep in flour, let's just say I haven't quite mastered that art yet. My attempts on Instagram stories usually end in disaster—for both me and my poor iPhone. Nonetheless, despite the lack of photographic evidence, the final results were met with great enthusiasm and disappeared in no time.
Ingredients Chocolate Pecan Slab Pie :
Adapted from Pie Squared: Irresistibly Easy Sweet & Savory Slab Pies by Cathy Barrow Cathy recommends baking this slab pie on a pizza steel, which I happen to have, and they work great. If not, you can use a pizza stone or over an inverted baking sheet, to evenly distribute the heat. She wrote a whole book on slab pies, and I figured extensive testing revealed those to be the best workarounds. She also makes her dough in the food processor, freezing the cubes of butter first. If you want to go that route, you can. Speaking of the dough, the recipe uses natural unsweetened cocoa powder, which in the U.S., is what you find in the supermarket, such as Hershey's. You can also find natural cocoa powder made by bean-to-bar companies like Guittard, Askinoise, and others. I asked her about using Dutch-process cocoa powder, which is what's usually available outside the U.S. (and, of course, it's available within) and she said it made the dough gummy and difficult to deal with. We didn't hash out why, but since she told me she tested it to death and it didn't work for her, I recommend only using natural cocoa powder. (If you try it with Dutch-process cocoa powder, let me know your results in the comments. UPDATE: A reader made the dough with Dutch-process cocoa powder and said in the comments below this post that it worked just fine.) For more on cocoa powder, check my post, Cocoa Powder FAQs. If you want to skip the chocolate crust, you can use a favorite pie crust recipe or even a store-bought one, if you're so inclined. For information on tracking down ingredients in France, like brown sugar, molasses, maple syrup, and more, check my post, American Baking in Paris.
Servings8 servings
For the chocolate crust
- 1 1/3cups (180g)flour
- 3 tablespoons (18g)natural unsweetened cocoa powder,not Dutch process (see headnote)
- 3tablespoonsgranulated sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon of salt
- 8tablespoons (4 ounces, 115g) unsalted butter,cubed and chilled
- 1/4cup (60ml)cold coffee (or water)
For the pecan pie filling
- 6tablespoons (3 ounces, 85g) unsalted butter,cubed
- 1 1/4cups (270g)packed dark brown sugar
- 1/4 cup (80g)maple syrup
- 1/4 cup (80g)dark corn syrup, sorghum syrup, golden syrup, or light molasses
- 2tablespoonsbourbon ,(optional, but excellent)
- 1/2teaspoonkosher or flaky sea salt
- 1 teaspoonvanilla extract
- 3largeeggs,at room temperature
- 3cups (330g)toasted pecans,coarsely chopped
- 2ounces (55g)bittersweet or semisweet chocolate,chopped
To make the crust
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix together the flour, cocoa powder, granulated sugar, and salt. (You can also make this in a medium bowl using a pastry blender, or a food processor. See headnote for tips on using a food processor.)
- Add the 8 tablespoons (115g) of butter and mix at medium speed, until the butter is broken down into pieces the size of small peas. Add the coffee and mix until the dough comes together. Stop the mixer and knead it a couple of times with your hands, only enough to shape it into a smooth rectangle; do not over knead the dough. Wrap the dough in plastic and chill the dough for at least 4 hours. (The dough can be made up to 2 days in advance and refrigerated, or frozen for up to two months.)
- Roll the dough by placing the rectangle of dough between two large sheets of parchment paper, until the dough is a 11- by 15-inch (28 by 38cm) rectangle. Carefully peel the top piece of paper off of the dough (if it's difficult, it may help to chill the dough on a baking sheet), and overturn the dough onto a quarter baking sheet. Remove the other piece of parchment paper and use your fingers to coax the dough into the pan, gently making sure it's well-fitted into the corners and the sides, leaving any excess dough overhanging the sides. Refrigerate the pan with the dough in it.
To make the pecan filling
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC). If you have a baking steel or stone, put it on the middle rack of the oven. Otherwise invert a rimmed baking sheet, if you have one, on the rack to even out the heat. If you don't have any of those, it's okay to bake the pie without it. Melt the 6 tablespoons of butter in a saucepan over medium heat until it starts to foam. Add the brown sugar, corn syrup (or another liquid sweetener), and maple syrup and stir until smooth. Remove from heat and let cool until tepid, about 5 minutes.
- Whisk in the the bourbon (if using), salt, and vanilla. Then whisk in the eggs one by one, until they're completely incorporated. Stir in the chopped pecans.
- Scrape the pecan filling into the prepared pie shell, fold the overhang of dough over the pecan filling, and bake on the prepared middle rack of the oven until the center feels almost set in the center. Mine took 30 minutes, although in her book, Cathy says it'll take 55 minutes, so start checking it at the 30 minute mark.
- Remove the pecan pie from the oven and let cool completely.
- Melt the chocolate in a small, absolutely dry, heatproof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water, stirring until smooth. Transfer the melted chocolate to a pastry bag fitted with a small plain tip, or into a sturdy zip-top bag. Snip off one of the corners of the plastic bag, or use the pastry bag fitted with a tip, to scribble the chocolate over the pie. Refrigerate the pie until the chocolate has firmed up. (Alternately, you could serve it with soft chocolate on top.)
Notes :
Serving: Serve the pie on its own, or with whipped cream, vanilla ice cream, or cinnamon ice cream.Storage: The pie can be made 3 or 4 days in advance, and kept at room temperature or refrigerated.