Pastries Recipes - Chocolate Pecan Pie Recipe

Ingredients

SERVES 6

For the pastry:

• 275g/10oz plain flour (plus extra for dusting)

• 50g/2oz cocoa powder

• 100g/4oz icing sugar

• Pinch of salt

• 200g/7oz butter (diced)

• 1 egg yolk

For the filling:

• 350g/12oz shelled pecan nuts

• 75g/3oz butter

• 175g/6oz demerara sugar

• 3 eggs

• 2 tablespoons double cream

• 2 tablespoons plain flour

• 75g/3oz dark chocolate

• 1 tablespoon icing sugar for dusting

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Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas mark 4.

2. To make the pastry, sift the flour, cocoa, sugar and salt into a mixing bowl and make a well in the centre. Put the butter and egg yolk in the well and knead together, then gradually mix in the dry ingredients.

3. Knead lightly into a ball. Cover with Clingfilm and chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour. Unwrap the dough and roll it out on a lightly floured surface. Use it to line a 25cm/10in non-stick spring form pie tin and prick the base with a fork.

4. Line the pastry case with aluminum foil and fill with baking beans. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven, discard the beans and foil, and allow to cool. Leave the oven on.

5. Roughly chop 225g/8oz pecan nuts. Mix the butter with 50g/2oz demerara sugar. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then add the remaining demerara sugar and mix. Stir in the double cream, flour and chopped pecan nuts.

6. Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, then add to the mixture. Spoon the filling into the pastry case and smooth the surface. Cut the remaining pecan nuts in half and arrange over the pie.

7. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes, then cover the top of the pie with aluminum foil to prevent it from burning and bake for a further 25 minutes.

8. Remove the pie from the oven and let it cool slightly before removing from the tin and transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Dust with the icing sugar.