MoMo's Richly Dressed Silver Palate Pecan Pie

How we make it.

Pecan Pie

from Silver Palate Cookbook by Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukins.

1 – 9 inch pie crust
4 eggs
1 cup dark brown sugar
¾ cup light corn syrup
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ cup butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups halved pecans, chopped
¼ cup pecan halves

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Beat eggs in a large bowl. Add brown sugar, corn syrup, salt, melted butter and vanilla, combining well. Sprinkle chopped pecans into pie crust. Pour egg mixture over top. Decorate top of pie with pecan halves. Bake for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 325 degrees. Bake for 25-35 minutes longer or until set. Let come to room temperature before dressing with cream and chocolate sauce, recipes below.

Bourbon Whipped Cream

1 pint heavy cream
3 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons bourbon
Splash vanilla extract

Pour cold cream into large bowl and whip with a hand mixer or standing mixer to desired thickness. Add sugar, bourbon and vanilla and whip some more to combine. Put a nice big dollop on a slice of pie. Store in the fridge but best served the same day you make it.

Bourbon Chocolate Sauce

1 cup water
½ cup sugar
½ cup agave
¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
½ cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 tablespoon bourbon
1 tablespoon butter

In a medium saucepan over medium heat combine water, sugar, agave and cocoa powder. Bring to a boil and stir until sugar is dissolved. Turn off heat, pour in chocolate chips and bourbon, stirring until chocolate is melted. Add butter and stir to glossy smooth. Set aside or refrigerate and sauce will thicken as it cools. Or serve warm over a slice of pie.

Why we make it.

Last week I did my first private chef style dinner at my friends' gorgeous, luxurious, incredible sky lodge that sits atop their family owned summer camp. In the last few years I have watched this place burn to the ground and I have watched them rebuild it from the ashes. To say it was a meaningful night to cook in Carson and Blaine's kitchen at Hi Ho Lodge as they hosted their first guests in the newly christened space would be an understatement. I will leave it at that. But what to cook? And what to cook for dessert? We drew upon favorites. The weakest part of my culinary catalogue is admittedly desserts. I love to eat them, I have less talent for making them. MoMo to the rescue. "MoMo" (that's a grandmother name), is Carson's mother. An incredibly elegant cook with in my opinion, perfect taste, she makes this pecan pie every Thanksgiving. We decided to share it with their guests. I covered it in cream and chocolate sauce for two reasons. One, to give their guests a hit of bourbon in this leg of the Kentucky adventure they came for. Two, to cover up my errors if it came out squidgy in the middle, which it did. They swore they loved it anyway and I of course, will keep trying to get rid of that squidge. But that's why I made it. Sometimes decadence is just a distraction, but this distraction was delicious.