FairTradeAid Chocolate Pecan Pie

When I randomly found out about a baking competition using Fair trade products, I instantly wanted to enter...and so blossomed my very own recipe for Chocolate Pecan Pie using four different Fair trade products.

 

For the Crust:

2 1/2 cups plain flour

1 teaspoon Trade Aid cane sugar

1 teaspoon salt

226g chilled unsalted butter, cut into small cubes

1/4 to 1/2 cup ice water

PASTRY RULE #1:  The key to pastry is to keep everything REALLY cold until you are ready to put it into REALLY hot, meaning bake it!

 

 

 

Sift together the flour, sugar, and salt.  Add the cubes of butter and either using a pastry cutter, a food processor, or your good ole hands, incorporate the butter into the flour until it becomes meal-like.  Then add in the ice water, slowly, until the dough just comes together.  (I always use slightly less than 1/2 cup.) Form the pastry into a ball.  Wrap it in plastic wrap, and then pop it in the fridge to chill. Refrigerate for at least an hour. (See rule #1) 

 

For the Chocolate Pecan Pie, this crust will need to be blind-baked (put in some parchment paper over the crust, add in some rice, lentils, or ceramic pie weights), so heat your oven to 220C (425F) and bake for 20-25min.

 

Unbaked and before ceramic weights

 

 

For the Chocolate Pecan Filling:

2 cups pecans

1 cup Trade Aid cane sugar

3 free range eggs

1/2 cup liquid glucose (or light corn syrup)

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 teaspoon vanilla (I looked for the Fairtrade vanilla but couldn’t find it!)

1 1/2 teaspoon Trade Aid instant coffee

1/2 teaspoon salt

100g Green & Blacks Fairtrade dark chocolate

70g Green & Blacks Fairtrade milk chocolate

Adjust oven temperature to  190C (375F). 

Spread the pecans on a baking sheet and toast in the oven for 6-10 minutes, stirring occasionally until lightly toasted.

 

Whisk the eggs, sugar, glucose, butter, and vanilla until blended.  Chop both of the chocolates and melt in the top of a double broiler or in a microwave on medium (50% power) for 1 ½ to 2 minutes.  Whisk one quarter of the filling into the melted chocolate, then blend the result into the remaining filling. (Careful!!! Don't cook your eggs!) Stir in the chopped pecans.

 

 

Pour the filling into the crust.  Cover the edges of the pie crust with aluminium foil to prevent burning--this is a must!  Bake until the edges of the pie are slightly puffed and the center seems set but still has a slight wobble, 25-30 minutes.  Let cool on a rack for a good 2 hours minimum.  (It'll probably still be warm with a gooey center, but set enough so that it holds together--like the picture here...because we couldn't wait any longer for it to cool! Serve warm or at room temperature. 

 

This pie is so incredibly rich, so I like to cut the richness with some whipped cream....om nom nom.  Warning: To get through the piece of pie in the photo, you will feel sickly by the end!!! :)