Mexican Chocolate Pecan Pie with Negra Modelo beer [Sponsored Post]

Mexican Chocolate Pecan Pie

By Irvin Lin

The spicy cinnamon flavor of Mexican Chocolate works well with both the toasty nutty pecans and the malty caramel flavor of Negra Modelo beer in this pie. It’s a sophisticated twist on a classic holiday dessert and a nice twist on traditional fare for the end of the year. I like to toast my pecans before adding them to the pie for an extra bit of nutty flavor.

Ingredients
Crust
1 1/4 cups (175 g) all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
10 tablespoons (140 g) cold unsalted butter, European style preferred
2 to 4 tablespoon ice cold water

Filling
2 cups (300 g) pecan halves
3.1 ounces (90 g or 1 tablet) Mexican chocolate, chopped into 1/4-inch chunks
4 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 cup Negro Modelo beer
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup dark corn syrup
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
4 large eggs

Directions
1. Make the crust by placing the flour and salt in a large bowl and stirring them together with a balloon whisk. Cut the butter into 1/2-inch chunks and sprinkle over the flour. Using your fingers, smash the butter into small bits and pieces, flattening the butter as much as possible. Once the butter is in pieces about the size of peas, sprinkle 2 tablespoons of water over the mixture and toss to incorporate until a dough forms. If the dough seems dry add more water, 1 tablespoon at a time. Once a dough forms, gather it together and flatten it into a round disk about 1-inch thick. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap and put in the refrigerator to chill for 1 hour or overnight.

2. Once the dough has chilled, roll the dough out to a 12-inch circle. Fit the dough into a 9-inch pie pan. Crimp the edges of the dough decoratively and place in the refrigerator for 15 minutes. Meanwhile preheat the oven to 375˚F.

3. Once the 15 minute are up, prick the bottom of the pie crust with a fork all over, then line with parchment paper and pour pie weights, dry beans or uncooked rice inside and bake in the oven for 25 minutes. Remove the paper with the weights and place the pie crust back in the oven for 5 to 10 minutes more, or until the bottom of the crust starts to look dry.

4. Let the pie crust cool to room temperature. Place the pecan halves on a rimmed baking sheet. Toast for 5 to 7 minutes or until the pecans start to smelly nutty (you don’t want them to darken too much, so start checking on the earlier side). Let the nuts cool until you can handle them, then chop half of them.

5. Place the chocolate and butter in a medium sized microwave safe bowl and cook on high power for 30 seconds. Stir and cook for another 30 seconds. Stir until the chocolate is completely melted and smooth. If you need to, cook in the microwave for additional 15 seconds intervals, stirring between cooking. Once melted, add the cocoa powder, cinnamon and salt and stir to dissolve.

6. Add the beer, vanilla extract, corn syrup and brown sugar to the chocolate and stir to incorporate. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating to make sure each egg is incorporated, before adding the next one.

7. Place the chopped pecans in the cooled pie crust then pour the filling over the pecans. Place the whole pecans on top of the filling, “tucking” them into the filling to make sure they are securely in place.

8,  Place on a rimmed baking sheet and bake in the oven for 10 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 350˚F and bake an additional 40 to 50 minutes or until the pie just barely jiggles in the middle of the pan. Let cool to room temperature before serving.

Makes 1 9-inch pie, serves 6 people.