Brown Butter Pecan Pie

 K and I were briefly devastated to learn that the pecan pie recipe we'd used for years was pulled down from the Food and Wine website - thank god for the Wayback Machine. We've loved their version, which includes chocolate ganache, since our very first Thanksgiving pie-athon.  It's made with honey instead of corn syrup, which means it's rich instead of saccharine.  I can't link to the original here, but this version is updated & adjusted to include brown butter, nix the ganache, make it a pie instead of a tart, etc. etc.

Ingredients

1 par-baked pie crust (I recommend this crust for single-crust pies, tips for par-baking here)
1 stick + 2 Tbsp. butter (10 Tbsp.), brought to room temp if possible
1/4 cup honey
3/4 cup dark brown sugar, lightly packed
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/3 cup heavy cream
2 cups pecans (1/2 pound)

Flaky salt, to finish

Preheat oven to 400. Toast pecans lightly on a sheet pan in oven as it preheats, or in a sauce pan.  Take off heat as soon as they begin to darken.

Cut butter into even pieces and add to saucepan over medium heat (a light-colored pan will help you see when the butter is browning more easily.) Stir butter as it melts and begins to foam at the edges.  Allow to cook for 5-8 minutes, until foam starts to settle and the solids begin to toast.  The butter should be golden brown and smell nutty and rich. Turn off heat briefly. 

Add honey and return pan to medium heat.  Stir until honey is melted into the butter. Add sugars and stir until dissolved.  Allow this mixture to continue to simmer for 1 minute, then stream heavy cream in slowly as you stir. Continue until mixture is smooth and combined. Remove from heat and stir in pecans.

Pour mixture into the par-baked pie crust, spreading over the bottom of crust evenly.  Place pie on a sheet pan and bake for 20 minutes, until there are bubbles around the edge and center is slightly firm. Remove from oven, sprinkle with flaky salt. Allow to cool completely before enjoying.

Blueberry Ginger Dark Chocolate Pie

 A flavor combination that is seemingly common in pastry cases around Quebec is blueberry and ginger - I had a loaf of sourdough studded with each recently and it was a delight.  When some friends wanted to learn to make pie, I was reminded of a chocolate blueberry pie I used to make years ago and couldn't shake the idea of grating fresh ginger into it.  The results were so stellar I needed to write them down somewhere for posterity, so here we are on this defunct little food blog: 

Ingredients: 

A double crust batch of pie dough, rested and ready to roll (I recommend Erin Jeanne McDowell's All-Buttah Dough or this No Fail, Extra-Flaky Sour Cream Pie Dough)

6 cups blueberries
1/2 cup granulated sugar
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
3 tablespoons cornstarch

2-3 Tablespoons grated fresh ginger (must be fresh!)
1 3.5-ounce dark chocolate bar, roughly chopped

Pinch of Salt

1 Tbsp. Butter
Milk or Egg Wash for the crust

Turbinado or Sprinkling Sugar to finish

Instructions:

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.  Roll one pie crust slightly larger than your pie plate, place in pie plate and put in fridge to chill.  Here's a good primer on rolling out pie crust. 

Place sugar, lemon juice, and cornstarch in a large bowl.  Add a small amount of the berries and mash slightly to release a little juice.  Add the rest of the berries and chocolate, stir until the berries are well coated. Start by adding 1 Tbsp. of ginger, taste, add more according to preference. 3 Tbsp. should give you a strong ginger flavor, which is my preference. Set aside.  

Roll out top crust until it is also slightly larger than pie plate.  Take chilled crust out of the fridge, add filling, and top with the second crust.  Crimp the edges to seal, and cut small vents in top crust with a knife.  For best results, allow entire pie to chill in the fridge again for 20-30 minutes.  

When ready to bake, brush crust all over with an egg wash or whole milk.  Sprinkle with finishing sugar. Place on a baking sheet and move it to a middle rack in the oven.  Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes, then lower the temperature to 350 degrees.  Bake for an additional 50 - 60 minutes.  Keep an eye on the crust and if it starts to brown early, tent with foil.  Pie is done when the crust is evenly browned and the filling is actively bubbling (you should be able to see it through the vents.)

Allow pie to rest out of the oven for an hour before enjoying.