Decadent Chocolate Pecan Pie

I can already taste the turkey. I am salivating at the thought of the stuffing and the gravy. I'm dreaming of the potatoes and the creamed peas. I'm already saving room for dessert. Yes, it's that time of year. The 10 pounds of winter begins with Thanksgiving. I'm ready to kick it off with a dessert that will add two pounds alone. Decadent Chocolate Pecan Pie. Even if you're not a fan of pecan pie (which I'm not) you will swoon over this confection of chocolate, caramel and pecans topped off with sea salt and whipped cream. I am asked each year to make this pie, and each year it is remembered as better than the last.

Before I get into the recipe, I'm going to beg your indulgence. I want to take a few minutes to let my readers know why I am so joyous about this particular Thanksgiving. It's been a difficult year. My mother, who just turned 71 has had heart issues for the last 11 years. It began with a small heart attack, and has moved on to include 9 stents in her heart since that time. Early this year, I began to worry. I saw a change in her that scared me and shook my to my very core. Mom was not well. She was pale, tired alot and often short of breath. I think she was afraid to see her doctor. After consulting with my two brothers and my sister, we had an intervention of sorts. Well, Mom ended up at the cardiologists office within two days, and was immediately checked into Dean St. Mary in Madison, WI. What was supposed to be another stent quickly changed and she was scheduled for double bypass surgery. Well, surgery came, and ended up including a valve repair as well. Mom had a long recovery, including an exciting ambulance ride complete with lights and sirens. So, you could say that I am thankful this year. My Mom is well, and my Dad has another year of being cancer free.

To celebrate this milestone and Mom's birthday, the whole family got together for something we have never done before. Family portraits. If you live in the Madison area, I highly suggest that you hire local photographer, Erin Weberpal. Erin does an amazing job. Not only does she have a fantastic eye, but she is able to capture the personalities of young children in her photo's. I'm always amazed by her. Check Erin's mad skills out at her websitehttp://dontblinkbyerin.blogspot.com/or on facebookhttp://www.facebook.com/dontblinkbyerin

Another added joy this year was the surprise move of my nephew and his family back to WI. Jason and I were always very close growing up. After the two of us leaving WI and moving around, we are finally for the first time in 13 years living within an hour of each other again. To top my joy on this one, Jason has an amazing wife, Sarah, who I am so lucky to call my friend. Last but not least, their beautiful little daughter, my Great Niece, Reese. Our whole family is so happy to have them back. Now if we could just get my other nephew Josh and his new wife Justine to move a little closer to home, life would be about perfect.


Yes, life is good, all around. I have more blessings than sorrows, and more laughter than tears. I'm thankful for family and good friends. I'm thankful for the roof over my head and the food on my table. I'm thankful for the two little children that keep me busy all day. I'm thankful for a husband that sticks by my side in good times and in bad. I look all around me and see evidence of a loving and merciful God.


Thanks for letting me share my joy with you.


Decadent Chocolate Pecan Pie with Caramel and Sea Salt

For the pie:

1 1/2 C pecans
1 C semisweet chocolate chips
1 unbaked 9 inch pie shell
4 eggs, beaten
1/2 C sugar
1/2 C corn syrup
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 TB bourbon
pinch of salt

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Spread the pecan pieces and the chocolate chips evenly on the bottom of the pie shell. In a mixing bowl, whisk the remaining ingredients together. Pour the filling over the pecans. Bake until the filling sets, 50 to 60 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool. Drizzle the caramel sauce over the pie and sprinkle with sea salt.

Caramel Sauce:

3/4 C sugar
2 TB water
1/2 tsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 C heavy cream
2 TB to 1/4 C whole milk

Combine the sugar, water, and lemon juice in a medium saucepan and cook over medium-high heat, stirring, until the sugar dissolves. Boil without stirring until the mixture becomes a deep amber color, about 4 minutes, watching closely so it doesn't burn. Add cream slowly, as it will bubble up, whisk to combine, remove from the heat.

Add 2 TB of the milk, then add up to 2 more TB, until the desired consistency is reached. Allow to thicken slightly (this will thicken as it cools) and drizzle over the pie. Sprinkle with coarse sea salt.

Flourless Chocolate Cake

Ok, the illness has finally abated in my house.  Not a cough, sneeze or sniffle in sight.  To celebrate that, I had a girlfriend over Friday night for dinner, chit chat, wine and good food.  Of course, what is such a night without chocolate?  


When I was living in Minneapolis, our local co-op had an amazing bakery, which made a flourless chocolate cake.  I used to have dreams about this cake.  I had always assumed that this was some difficult feat meant only for the master baker.  I could not have been more wrong.  I opened up my America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook, and was surprised to find an easy recipe.  Of course, everything from that book comes out delicious, but I just had to live on the wild side and change it up a bit.  The original recipe calls for semi-sweet chocolate.  Being the dark chocolate lover that I am, I put in some dark as well.  One word?  YUM!  It's like a truffle.  Oh, and if you want to really live it up, macerate some strawberries in Grand Marnier and serve them over the cake.  It gets no better than this.  

Flourless Chocolate Cake


Adapted from America's Test Kitchen Cookbook


3/4 pound semisweet chocolate
1/4 pound bittersweet chocolate
2 sticks unsalted butter, cut into 16 pieces
1/4 Cup strong coffee
8 large cold eggs


Adjust and oven rack to the lower middle position and heat to 325 degrees.  Lightly coat an 8 inch springform pan with vegetable spray, and cocoa powder (instead of flour) the pan.  Wrap the outside of the pan with at least 2 sheets of heavy duty foil, and set in a large roasting pan.  Bring a kettle of water to a boil.  


Heat the chocolate, butter and coffee together in a large bowl in the microwave, stirring often, until the mixture is melted and smooth, 1 to 3 minutes.  


Whip the eggs in a large bowl with an electric mixer on high speed until doubled in volume, 5 to 10 minutes.  Fold 1/3 of the egg mixture into the chocolate mixture using a rubber spatula until only a few streaks remain.  Add the rest of the eggs in 1/3 increments, until there are no streaks.  


Pour the batter into the prepared pan, inside the roasting pan.  Set the roasting pan on the oven rack, and pour in the boiling water until the water is halfway up the side of the cake pan.  Bake until the edges are just beginning to set, and a think glazed crust has formed on the surface, and an instant read thermometer inserted in the center halfway down reads 140 degrees, about 20 to 25 minutes.  


Carefully remove the springform pan from the water, bath and allow to cook on a wire rack, then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 2 hours.  


Run a paring knife around the edge of the cake, and then remove the cake from the springform pan.  

Garlic Bread Soup

There's a bug in my house.  No, I don't mean the creepy, crawly multi-legged bug.  Although, this one does creep.  It bit my son first, then my daughter, then crept up to my husband, bit him, and then reared it's ugly head to me.  It's a cold.  A low, down dirty rotten cold.  It has taken my house hostage, we are infested.  I have spent the last 3 days clinging to my bed, and jammies.  Today, I woke up with a little spark.  Not enough to get up and clean the toy tornado that has been going through the house unchecked for the past few days, but enough to make some chicken soup to cure what ails us.  Chicken soup?  I know, the title of this post is Garlic Bread Soup.  Well, it's both.  I love this soup.  It fills me up, it clears out my sinuses while I'm making it.  It's cheap.  It's easy, and it's comforting.  Tuck this recipe away for the day that you feel lousy, or the day that you want to impress somebody with your incredible soup making skills.  Really,  it's so easy, they'll never know.

A warning: for those of you who have texture issues, cannot stand crackers in your soup, or refuse to dip a bread roll in your soup, stop reading now.  Go find something else to make.  For the rest of you...

The key ingredient in this soup is the bread.  Be sure to use a good quality crusty bread.  I prefer to dry mine out in the oven after I have cut it, but this is not absolutely necessary if you are short on time.  However, if you do this, do not toast the bread, just dry it out.  Toasting will significantly change the flavor of this soup.  As will allowing the garlic to brown.  I cannot stress this enough!  Do NOT allow the garlic to brown. You will end up with a soup that has a burnt flavor to it.  I like to press my garlic, however, you can also mince it.  The idea is to release as much garlic flavor as possible.  If you don't like so much garlic, only put in half.  You'll still have excellent garlic flavor.  Also, if you prefer not to use so much stock, add 2 cups of water, and some bouillon.



Garlic Bread Soup

4 Cups crusty bread
3 TB extra virgin olive oil
8 garlic cloves, pressed or mashed, with 1/2 tsp salt
6 Cups chicken stock or broth
1 bay leaf
3 large eggs, beaten
salt and pepper to taste
parsley for garnish



Heat oil in  a medium saucepan over medium low heat until oil is hot, but not smoking.  Add the garlic, cook, stirring often until fragrant, but not browned, 3-5 minutes.

Add bread, stir to coat.  Stir in stock and bay leaf.  Season with salt and pepper.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, simmer for 15 minutes.

Discard the bay leaf.  Stir in eggs.  Cook, stirring occasionally with a fork to break up the eggs, about 10 minutes.  Garnish with parsley if desired.