Scribbles & Munch

      Remember I said I was going to celebrate with pie? And that chocolate was going to be involved? Well not only did I make good on my word, I'm making a point of sharing with you BEFORE the most notorious chocolate holiday in America, just in case you want to make a sweet pie for your Sweetie Pie!
      The background of this recipe is...I have no idea where it came from. My family has been making it for the holidays since before I was born. I'm guessing since the title is "Hershey Nut Pie" is may have been put out by the Hershey corporation way back in the day? But as with any good recipe that gets used across multiple generations and households, little tweaks have occurred here and there, and I can't swear that this is the original recipe (I can't swear that it isn't, either).

      I love this because it's a cross between a fudgy brownie and a pecan pie. I mean for Pete's sake, if that doesn't win you over, what will? It can be made with a bit of booze or without. It keeps perfectly at room temperature for several days. It's excellent by itself, or with a dollop of whipped cream, or with a few pretty berries and a drizzle of creme fraîche, or (of course) a la mode. So without further ado, here 'tis:

Hershey Nut Pie

Ingredients:
one 9 inch unbaked pie crust (from one round of my lovely dough)
1 Cup white sugar (I use superfine vanilla sugar)
4 T cornstarch
2 large eggs (room temperature is best)
1 stick butter (if you don't use salted, add a pinch of kosher salt)
6 oz. semi-sweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
3 T bourbon OR 1 T vanilla
1 Cup pecan halves
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

Directions:
 - Preheat your oven to 350º F. In a small bowl, beat together the sugar, cornstarch and eggs until thoroughly combined.

Yeah, I don't know why I did this by hand. Just use a bowl and a hand-held electric beater, you'll be much happier.

 - In a medium saucepan over med-low heat, melt together the chocolate, butter, and bourbon or vanilla. Once melted, turn off the heat and stir in the nutmeg and pecans.

It's scenes like this that make a person want to eat batter, and raw eggs be damned!

 - Pour the sugar mixture into the chocolate mixture, stirring vigorously until thoroughly combined. Pour into the unbaked pie crust and bake for 40 minutes, until the top resembles a baked brownie.

Don't worry if it only fills your crust a little over halfway, it puffs a bit as it bakes.

      Cool completely before serving. You can mess around with this recipe to suit your tastes: don't like pecans? Try walnuts, or coarsely chopped almonds. I bet raw pine nuts could be good, too! If you're not a fan of bourbon I have used spiced rum to great success, and I suspect a coffee liqueur - or even an orange liqueur - would be delicious as well. You can make it without nuts, but honestly the texture is best with a little crunch. I suppose you could leave out the nuts and try sprinkling the top with crushed toffee....

Doesn't that just have "Happy Valentine's Day" written all over it?