Kudos go to Ms. Maureen Boyd Biro of California for this award-winning bourbon-pecan-pie recipe. Ms. Maureen is the mother of my editor, Martin Biro. How cool is that?
Just so you know, people, I made this pie. And I ate the whole thing all by myself. Not at one time, though. Without a doubt, this is a blow-your-mind, knock-your-socks-off pie. And the maple whipped cream was so good, I don’t have the words to describe it.
Please feel free to be as effusive and complimentary as you wish by going to my Web site and posting your glowing reports if you try this recipe. I will make sure that Ms. Maureen gets all of your comments. Maybe if she gets enough of them, she will create another gourmet delight to share with all of us in my next book.
To all of you, happy reading and happy dining.
Fern
Maureen’s Rich Bourbon Pecan Pie
Ingredients
For pie crust:
2 cups cake flour
¼ cup pecans, toasted, cooled, and finely ground
1 teaspoon brown sugar
½ teaspoon salt
cup chilled vegetable shortening (like Crisco)
cup chilled unsalted butter (no substitutions), cut up
3½ to 4 tablespoons ice water
For pecan filling:
2½ cups pecan halves, divided
3 large eggs, beaten
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
¾ cup dark corn syrup
5 tablespoons butter, melted
1½ tablespoons Wild Turkey bourbon
For maple-cinnamon whipped cream:
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups heavy cream
½ tablespoon confectioners’ sugar
¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1½ tablespoons pure maple syrup
Directions
1. For the pastry, combine flour, ground pecans, brown sugar, and salt in bowl or food processor. Cut in shortening and butter until mixture is crumbly. Add water one tablespoon at a time, tossing with fork, until pastry holds together, or use on/off pulse of food processor. Shape into ball and flatten slightly.
2. For the filling, coarsely chop 1¼ cups of the pecan halves and set aside. Beat eggs, brown sugar, corn syrup, melted butter, and bourbon, in mixing bowl at low speed until blended. Stir in chopped pecans.
3. Heat oven to 350 degrees. On lightly floured surface, roll pastry into a 12-inch circle (-inch thickness). Fit into 9-inch pie plate. (If pastry cracks, gently patch by pressing with fingertips.) Trim pastry to edge of pie plate. There will be a lot of excess pastry. Reserve this for decorative border. Pour in filling. Beginning at outer edge of pie shell, arrange the remaining 1¼ cups of pecan halves in concentric circles, working from the outside in to cover filling. Roll remaining pastry into a 10-inch circle. Using a miniature 1-inch leaf- or acorn-shaped cookie cutter, cut pastry into shapes. Brush edge of pastry with cold water and gently press pastry shapes around perimeter of crust, overlapping each shape slightly, to form a decorative border. Reroll scraps as needed. Bake pie for 35 minutes, then cover pie loosely with sheet of aluminum foil to prevent overbrowning. (Do not tuck foil around pie; just lay sheet of foil loosely over pie, if it’s getting too browned.) Bake an additional 15 minutes until filling is set. Cool pie on wire rack.
4. For the maple-cinnamon whipped cream, beat cream, vanilla, confectioners’ sugar, and ground cinnamon in large bowl with electric mixer until cream begins to thicken. Slowly beat in maple syrup until cream forms soft peaks.
5. Serve pie with maple-cinnamon whipped cream.
Makes 10 servings.
Store pie in refrigerator but serve at room temperature. Pie is also delicious slightly warmed up in microwave, then topped with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.
Recipe from: Maureen Boyd Biro
Photo by M2IFOTO©2006
FERN MICHAELS is the USA Today and New York Times bestselling author of the Sisterhood and Godmothers series and dozens of other novels and novellas. There are over seventy-five million copies of her books in print. Fern Michaels has built and funded several large day-care centers in her hometown, and is a passionate animal lover who has outfitted police dogs across the country with special bulletproof vests. She shares her home in South Carolina with her four dogs and a resident ghost named Mary Margaret.
Visit her website at fernmichaels.com.
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Ten years have passed since young nurse Sophie Lee was accused of murdering her wealthy patient, Audrey Star. Georgia attorney Mikala Aulani believed her innocence—and Adam Star’s guilt—but the prosecution convinced a jury otherwise. Sophie was convicted on a Tuesday—the day on which every significant event in her life, good or bad, seems to happen. Now, on the verge of his death, Adam exonerates Sophie and also leaves her a huge fortune in atonement.
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After assembling in their War Room and gathering intel, the gang is ready for action. But nestled among the lavish mansions and immaculate landscaping of Spyder Island is a sinister enemy. And in a case that’s far more twisted than it first appeared, the ingenuity, courage, and friendship of the Sisterhood will be tested as never before.
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Sometimes life is handed to you. Sometimes it’s taken away without warning. For Kate Starr, her life is now about moving forward not knowing if her husband has been killed in his tour of duty. Suddenly Kate must raise their two daughters by herself and struggle with the U.S. government to get news of her husband. Slowly but surely, her fight to be heard transforms Kate into a successful businesswoman ready to find love again and live life to the fullest—by learning to let go of the very things that mean the most to her…
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An orphan rescued by a wealthy uncle and raised in spheres of privilege, Pete Sorenson is set to launch his career as a high-powered attorney. At his side is Annie, the perfect princess of a companion, ready to support him in every way, gracefully, patiently. But then Maddie Stern enters Pete’s life. More than her notable beauty and enigmatic allure, it’s her past as a foster child that draws a connection between them that Pete could never share with Annie. But on the eve of their wedding, Maddie disappears. Distraught, Pete reaches out to his most trusted friend. Annie drops her life in Boston to once again provide the emotional support Pete needs. Together, they try to solve the mystery of Maddie. And together, they discover life is always unexpected . . .
KENSINGTON BOOKS are published by
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Copyright © 2015 by Fern Michaels
Fern Michaels is a registered trademark of KAP 5, Inc.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of the Publisher, excepting brief quotes used in reviews.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons living or dead is entirely coincidental.
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Library of Congress Control Number: 2015931005
ISBN: 978-1-6177-3458-8
First Kensington Hardcover Edition: May 2015
eISBN-13: 978-1-61773-459-5
eISBN-10: 1-61773-459-4
First Kensington Electronic Edition: May 2015
Perfect Match Page 27