Gooey flavor of chocolate and dark sugar, the satisfying bite of toasty pecans and flaky pastry–what’s not to love?
Many of our earliest Frontera Grill customers were surprised to find this pie on our menu. “Pecan pie isn’t Mexican,” they said, not knowing that so many of the cafeterias (coffee shops) in Mexico City have it on the menu that most people consider it a naturalized citizen. And, besides, pecans are native to Mexico, making this American original a delicious border-straddling phenomenon.
As we were planning our opening menu for Frontera Grill in 1987, I developed this pie, combining chocolate and pecans, two of Mexico’s most beloved gifts to world cuisine. We’ve offered it every day for nearly four decades.
A little advice: Cold is important in making a workable, flaky dough. If you have time, chill the flour and shortening, as well as the butter, before adding the ice water. If you don’t have a deep-dish 9-inch pie pan, you can use a regular-depth one. You’ll have extra dough and filling, which you can fashion into a small pie (if you have a small pie pan) or simply bake the leftover filling in a small dish and gather the extra dough and refrigerate for another dish.
INGREDIENTS
- For the crust:
- 1 1/2 cups (210 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons (4 grams) sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon (3 grams) salt
- 8 tablespoons (4 ounces, 115 grams) cold unsalted butter, cut into ½ inch pieces
- ¼ cup (48 grams) vegetable shortening, chilled and broken into ½ inch chunks
- For the filling:
- 6 ounces (170 g, about 1 ¾ cups) pecan halves and pieces, toasted
- 6 ounces (170 g) 60% bittersweet chocolate, chopped into ¼ inch pieces OR 6 ounces (about 1 cup) high-quality chocolate chips
- 3 tablespoons (21 grams) all-purpose flour
- 6 ounces (170 g, ¾ cup) room temperature unsalted butter
- 1 cup (213 grams) packed dark brown sugar
- 5 eggs, room
- 3/4 cup (252 grams) agave syrup or light corn syrup
- 1/4 cup (85 grams) dark molasses
- 2 tablespoons añejo tequila (you can omit this or replace it with bourbon or brandy)
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon salt
INSTRUCTIONS
Make the dough. Combine the flour, sugar, salt, cubed butter and shortening in a bowl, and, if time allows, freeze (or refrigerate) for about an hour to ensure everything’s cold and the crust turns out flaky.
Make a glass of ice water. Combine dry ingredients and fat (the chilled mix described above or just-measured ingredients) in a food processor. Using 1-second pulses, process the mixture until it resembles coarse meal with some small (pea-size) lumps of butter still visible. Transfer to a large bowl.
Measure in 5 tablespoons ice water, sprinkling it somewhat evenly over the top, then, using fingertips or a fork, work it in. It will look rough and clumpy, not like a smooth dough. If there is unincorporated flour in the bottom of the bowl, drizzle in more ice water, ½ tablespoon at a time, and use a fork or fingers to incorporate it. Don’t overwork the dough or the pastry will be tough. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, gather into a ball, and flatten into a roughly 1-inch-thick disk. Wrap in plastic and chill at least 1 hour. (You can keep it in the refrigerator for several days.)
Prepare the pie shell. Grease and flour a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a 12-inch round then transfer to a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate (I like the Pyrex one). Ease the dough snuggly into the bottom edges, then trim the excess dough from around the top, leaving a ¾ inch overhang. Fold the overhang under, making the top edge stand higher, then crimp it decoratively. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. (At this point, you can cover the dough with plastic wrap and keep it refrigerated for a couple of days or frozen for a couple of months.)
Bake the pie shell. Arrange a rack to the middle of the oven and heat to 400 degrees. Lightly butter a 15-inch round of foil and lay it, butter-side-down inside the chilled pie shell, gently pressing it to line the shell snugly. Fill the foil with pie weights or dried beans and bake until the pastry is set and pale golden along the edge, about 20 minutes. Carefully remove the weights or beans and the foil. Using a fork, gently prick the bottom and sides of the pie shell, careful not to make holes all the way through the dough. Return to the oven and bake until the shell is pale golden all over, about 10 more minutes. Cool. Reduce the heat to 350 degrees.
Make the filling. In a large bowl, combine the pecans, chocolate and flour and toss to combine. In the food processor, combine the room temperature butter and brown sugar until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl if necessary to incorporate everything completely. While the processor is running, add the eggs one at a time, waiting for each to incorporate before adding the next. Add the agave, molasses, tequila, vanilla and salt. Process until everything comes together in a smooth mixture. Pour over the pecan mixture and stir to combine.
Finish the pie. Pour the filling into the cooled pie shell. Bake at 350 degrees on a parchment- or silicone mat-lined rimmed baking sheet until the filling is slightly puffed and the center is almost set, about 1 hour. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Because it’s easiest to slice this pie when it’s cold, I suggest that, once cooled, you refrigerate it, slice it, then let it return to room temperature (where its texture and flavor are best).
