Maida Heatter's Book of Great Chocolate Desserts (43 page)

When adequate water has been added the mixture will still be lumpy, but with practice you will know by the look of it that it will form a ball when pressed together. I have occasionally had to add a little more water, but very little—about 1 to 2 teaspoons.

The shortening and butter must not melt (they should remain in little flour-coated flakes) so do not handle now any more than necessary. Turn the mixture out onto a board or smooth work surface and, with your hands, just push the mixture together to form a ball. (My mother never touched the dough with her hands at this stage—she turned it out onto a piece of plastic wrap, brought up the sides of the plastic, and squeezed them firmly together at the top, pressing from the outside and letting the mixture form a ball without actually touching it.) If the dough is too dry to hold together do not knead it, but replace it in the bowl and use a knife to cut it into small pieces again and add a few more drops of water.

Lightly flour your hands, round the ball of dough, then flatten it slightly and smooth the edges. (Or, if you have formed it into a ball in a piece of plastic wrap as my mother did, open the top of the plastic briefly and close it again loosely. Flatten the dough slightly with your hands, smooth the edges, and rewrap it in the plastic wrap.) Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight or at least for a few hours. It may stay in the refrigerator for up to a week, or if you are in a rush it may be used after a few hours. Or it may be frozen now, airtight, for up to two months.

Rolling out the dough is much easier if you use a pastry cloth to work on and a stockinette cover for the rolling pin. Flour the cloth by rubbing in as much flour as the cloth will absorb, then lightly scrape off loose excess flour. Rub flour into the covered rolling pin. (I use a French style rolling pin that is long and narrow and tapered at both ends. It is too long and narrow to wear a stockinette cover. Just keep it lightly floured while you roll with it.)

Place the flattened ball of dough on the cloth. If the dough is very firm, pound (whack) it sharply in all directions with the rolling pin to flatten it to a circle about 7 inches in diameter. If it is not too firm, just press down on it gently in all directions with the
rolling pin to form a 7-inch round. With your fingers, smooth the edges and pinch together any small cracks at the edges.

Now start to roll, always from the center out. Do not roll back and forth and do not turn the dough over during rolling. Roll first in one direction and then another, trying to keep the shape round. If the edges crack slightly, pinch them together. If the dough cracks anywhere other than the edges, or if the circle is terribly uneven, do not reroll the dough; simply cut off uneven edges and use the scraps as patches. The piece used as a patch should be turned upside down when it is put in place. Then roll over that area lightly to seal.

It may be necessary to reflour the pin occasionally. It should not be necessary to reflour the pastry cloth, but if there is any hint that the dough might stick, reflour it very lightly. The less flour you use the better—too much flour toughens pastry.

Roll the dough into a circle 13 inches in diameter for a 9-inch plate; 13½ or 14 inches for a 10-inch plate—the dough should be a scant ⅛ inch thick. It is important that the rolled-out pastry be exactly the same thickness all over so it will brown evenly.

Now, if you have a cake-decorating turntable or a lazy Susan to place the pie plate on, you will find it much easier to trim and shape the crust.

Roll the dough up loosely around the rolling pin to transfer it to the pie plate. Then unroll it, centering it evenly over the plate. With your fingers, ease the sides of the dough down into the plate—it is important not to stretch the dough or it will shrink during baking.

The dough must touch the plate all around—press the bottom where the sides and bottom meet. Then press gently against the sides. If your fingernails are in the way, cut a small portion of the dough from an uneven edge, form it into a small ball, flour it lightly, and use it as a tamping tool to press the dough into place.

With scissors cut the edge of the crust evenly, leaving about a ½-inch overhang. With floured fingertips fold the edge to the outside and down, forming a hem that extends about ½ inch over the rim. Press the hem lightly together between your thumb and forefinger knuckle, making it stand upright. (While you are handling the edges, if the kitchen is warm and the pastry becomes sticky, refrigerate it briefly.)

Now, with lightly floured fingertips, form a decorative edge on the pastry. There are many ways of doing this. Here’s one. You will be moving clockwise around the rim, starting at three o’clock. Place your left forefinger at a right angle across the rim of the pastry. Your hand will be over the inside of the plate with your finger sticking over to the outside. Move your right arm so the elbow is up, then with your right hand grip the pastry rim using the thumb and forefinger knuckle. Grip slightly ahead (clockwise) of your left finger, and twist the pastry edge toward the center of the plate. Remove both hands, then replace your left forefinger just ahead (clockwise again) of the twist you have just formed. This will be at about four o’clock on the rim. Repeat the twists all around the edge. Check and reshape any uneven spots.

Then, with your fingertips, press the sides of the pastry firmly against the sides of the plate.

With a fork prick the bottom all over at ¼-inch intervals.

Place the shell in the freezer for 15 minutes or more until it is frozen firm. (This helps prevent shrinking.)

About 15 minutes before you bake, adjust oven rack one-third up from the bottom and preheat oven to 450 degrees.

In order to keep the pastry shell in place during baking, cut a 12-inch square of aluminum foil. Place the foil, shiny side down, in the frozen shell. Press it into place all over. If your fingernails are in the way, place a pot holder or a folded dish towel against the foil while you press it. Do not fold the edges of the foil over the rim of the crust; let the corners of the foil stand up. Fill the foil at least three-quarters full with dried beans or with the aluminum pellets that are made for this purpose. (If you use beans, reserve them
to use again for the same purpose.) Aluminum pie weights (pellets) are available by mail from Williams-Sonoma, (877) 812-6235, and in New York from Bridge Kitchenware, 214 East 52nd Street, New York, New York 10022.

Bake the frozen shell for 12 to 13 minutes until it is set and lightly colored on the edges. Remove it from the oven. Reduce the heat to 400 degrees. Gently remove the foil and beans by lifting the four corners of the foil. Replace the shell in the oven and continue to bake about 7 or 8 minutes more, or longer if necessary. Watch it almost constantly; if it starts to puff up anywhere, reach into the oven and pierce the puff with a cake tester or a fork to release trapped air. Bake until the edges are richly colored—a too-pale crust is not as attractive as one with a good color. The bottom will remain paler than the edges. (During baking, if the crust is not browning evenly reverse the position of the pan.)

Place on a rack and cool to room temperature.

NOTES
:
1. For a 10-inch crust, increase the amounts to 1¼ cups flour, generous ½ teaspoon salt, 3¾ tablespoons vegetable shortening, 3¾ tablespoons butter, and 3¾ tablespoons ice water.

2. The ingredients for the crust may easily be doubled for two shells.

3. Here’s a hint for freezing: Roll out each round of dough. Place it on wax paper on cookie sheets and freeze. Then wrap the flat rounds of dough airtight in plastic wrap and return them to the freezer. When you want to use one, let it thaw until it is soft enough to be placed in the pie plate and shaped. This way you can freeze as many as you want even if you don’t have many pie plates and they won’t take up much room.

Or, if you don’t plan on that many pies, it is a great luxury to have just one unbaked shell in the freezer. I try to keep one frozen, all ready for the oven, in the pie plate with the aluminum foil lining in place. I wrap it in plastic wrap or a freezer bag. Then I only have to fill it with the dried beans when I am ready to bake it. (I think it is better that way, but some people like to keep one already baked, frozen.)

VARIATION
:
For a chocolate crust follow the above directions using the following ingredients: 1 cup sifted all-purpose flour; ¼ teaspoon salt; 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder; 1 tablespoon confectioners sugar (sift together the flour, salt, cocoa, and sugar); 1½ tablespoons vegetable shortening; 4 tablespoons sweet butter; 3 to 4 tablespoons ice water.

Chocolate Pecan Pie

8 TO 10
P
ORTIONS

The non-chocolate version of this pie is one of the most famous of all truly American recipes. The classic Southern pecan pie, often described as “utterly deadly,” is rich, gooey, sweet-sweet-sweet. The unsweetened chocolate and rum in this recipe cut the sweetness to just right. This is one of the best of all pies.

Traditionally, the filling is poured into an unbaked crust and then it is baked. I have never had one made that way that had a really crisp bottom crust. I like a crisp bottom crust, so the procedure for this is different. In this recipe the crust is partially baked “blind” (without the filling), then it is baked again with the filling. It will have a crisp bottom crust.

And, traditionally, this amount of filling is used for a 10-inch crust or even for two 9-inch crusts. I like a thicker filling; this is baked in one 9-inch crust and it will be a thick filling.

When just right, the crust should be flaky, crisp, and buttery, and a rich golden color. The filling should be semi-firm in the middle with a consistency somewhere between a thick fudge sauce and smooth caramel; and the pecans, which rise during baking, should form a crunchy layer on the top.

PIE CRUST

Prepare a 9-inch baked pie shell (see page 176), but because this pie has such a generous amount of filling it is important to form an even, high rim with no low spots, so the filling can’t run over. And make a change in timing (since this will have additional baking after the filling is poured in): When you remove the aluminum foil and the dried beans and reduce the temperature to 400 degrees, bake for only 4 minutes (instead of 7 or 8), or until the bottom of the crust is completely dry but still pale and the edges are just beginning to color.

Let the partially baked crust cool slightly (or completely if you wish) and then prepare the filling.

FILLING

2 ounces (2 squares) unsweetened chocolate

2 ounces (½ stick) sweet butter

4 eggs (graded large)

1 cup granulated sugar

1¼ cups dark corn syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoons dark rum

7 ounces (2 cups) pecan halves or large pieces

Adjust rack one-third up from the bottom of the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place the chocolate and the butter in the top of a small double boiler over hot water on moderate heat; cover until partially melted, then uncover and stir until completely melted. Remove from the hot water and set aside, uncovered, to cool slightly.

In a large bowl (you can use an electric mixer, a manual egg beater, or a wire whisk) beat the eggs lightly just to mix, then beat in the sugar and syrup just to mix. Add the vanilla, rum, and then the melted chocolate/butter, and mix. Now stir in the pecans.

Carefully pour the filling into the partially baked crust, watching the edges as you pour; if the rim is not high enough, or has any low spots, do not use all of the filling or it will run over.

Bake for 40 to 50 minutes. If you bake until a knife inserted in the filling comes out clean, the pie will be overdone. The top should still feel soft to the touch, and the middle should wiggle and shake if you move the pan slightly. Do not be alarmed—and do not bake any longer. The filling will set and firm as it cools. Longer baking would spoil the sensational quality of the filling. (During baking the top will rise and crack; it will settle down as it cools.)

Remove the pie from the oven, place it on a rack, and cool to temperature.

Southerners are emphatic about the fact that pecan pie is best when it is still slightly warm (it takes about 3 hours to cool to room temperature). However, I think this particular pie is much better when it is cold—very cold. I refrigerate it and serve it cold.

OPTIONAL
:
Whipped cream is traditional with pecan pie. If you use it, whip 1 cup heavy cream with only 1 tablespoon of granulated or confectioners sugar, ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract and/or 1 tablespoon of rum or bourbon for 5 portions—double the amounts to serve 10. Whip only until the cream holds a soft shape, not stiff. Pass it separately.