John Besh has a huge following because of his restaurants in New Orleans and his appearances on “The Today Show”, CNN, the Food Network and more. San Antonio recently welcomed his latest restaurant…Lüke San Antonio to the Riverwalk! Chef Besh shared this incredible Bourbon Pecan Pie recipe with me!
Besh says his Grandmother Grace used pure molasses in her pecan pie, and his mother only used corn syrup. Besh actually uses both, but you can substitute either syrup for the other. The molasses doesn’t have to come to room temperature exactly, but it should be cool enough that when you add the eggs, they won’t be tempted to scramble.
Preparation
1. Place a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°.
2. Put the molasses, brown sugar, corn syrup, butter, and salt into a medium saucepan over moderate heat. Stir with a wooden spoon until the butter has melted and the sugar has dissolved.
3. Increase the heat to high and let the mixture boil for one minute. Remove from heat, then pour into a mixing bowl and set aside to let cool to room temperature.
4. Whisk the eggs, vanilla, and bourbon into the molasses. Stir in the pecans, then pour into the prepared pie crust. Bake until the pie is set around the sides and nearly set in the middle (it shouldn’t wobble when you give it a nudge), about 1 hour. The color should be mahogany and the crust golden. Allow to cool completely before serving.
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup black strap molasses
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup light corn syrup
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3 eggs, beaten
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup Bourbon
- 1 1/2 cup pecan halves
- 1 recipe Basic Pie Dough, fitted into a 9-inch pie pan