DISTRACTION PIE

Distraction Pie (inspired by Darren, adapted from Amanda Clarke)

Makes one 9” pie

Graham Cracker Pecan Pie Crust

1¼ cups graham cracker crumbs
½ cup pecans, chopped
2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
generous pinch of salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Butter a 9” pie plate and set aside.  In a large bowl using your fingers or a whisk, combine the graham cracker crumbs, pecans, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt. Thoroughly combine the melted butter with the crumbs. Spread the crumbs evenly in the pan, pressing them into the bottom and up the sides. Refrigerate for 10 minutes. Place the pie plate on a baking sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes. Cool completely on a rack before filling.

The filling-

½ cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons cold water
1 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon molasses
1½ cups cold milk (you will be using ¾ cup at a time)
¼ cup cornstarch
½ teaspoon kosher salt
3 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons whiskey
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

To prepare the caramel base, place the sugar then the water in a heavy bottomed pan, tilting the pan to moisten the sugar. Cook over medium heat until melted and deeply amber colored. (Err on the side of caution- the sugar continues to darken and you don’t want it to burn.) Carefully add half of the heavy cream; the mixture will splatter. Stir with a wooden spoon to dissolve the caramel. Add the remainder of the heavy cream and the molasses, stirring to combine. Remove from the heat and set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the cornstarch, salt and egg yolks with ¾ cup of cold milk until smooth. Heat the remaining ¾ cup of milk in a microwave until hot. Gradually add a few tablespoons of the hot milk to the yolk mixture to temper it, whisking constantly. Continue to add the rest of the hot milk, whisking, and then slowly (still whisking) add the caramel/cream/molasses mixture. Pour the filling mixture into a heavy bottomed saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with a rubber scraper. Make sure to keep an eye on the heat- if the mixture starts to become lumpy, reduce the heat slightly and continue stirring, especially in the corners of the saucepan. It should take about 8-10 minutes for the mixture to thicken sufficiently. Remove from the heat, stir in the vanilla and the whiskey. Add the butter pieces, a little bit at a time, stirring with a rubber spatula until the butter is completely melted and incorporated.

Set a fine mesh strainer over a medium bowl and pour the filling though the strainer. Gently transfer the filling into the prebaked and cooled pie shell. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until completely cold, about 3 hours. Garnish with freshly whipped cream and pecan praline.

Pecan Praline-

½ cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon corn syrup, dark or light
generous pinch of salt
1 tablespoon water
⅓ cup pecans

Generously butter a sheet of aluminum foil and place the foil on a rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle the pecans on top of the foil. In a heavy bottomed pan, combine the sugar, corn syrup, salt and water. Cook over medium heat until the sugar melts and the mixture turns deep amber. Immediately pour the sugar over the pecans onto the buttered aluminum foil. Let the praline cool completely, then break it into pieces and sprinkle it over the whipped cream topped pie.

Freshly Whipped Cream

In a chilled bowl, whip one cup of heavy cream until it holds soft peaks. Add one teaspoon of vanilla extract and if you wish, 2 tablespoons of confectioners’ sugar. Whip on medium until thick but not overly so.  Spread over the top of the pie.

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