Bacon Pecan Dulce de Leche Chocolate Pie

Crust:

Bacon Pecan Dulce de Leche Chocolate Pie

Yields 1 10-inch pie

INGREDIENTS
Piecrust (makes two pie crust shells)
4 cups flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 ¾ cup vegetable shortening
1 tablespoon bacon fat, frozen
½ cup cold water
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 large egg

FILLING & Garnishes
Pecan Filling
¾ cup brown sugar
3 eggs
1 cup dark corn syrup
1/3 cup butter, unsalted, melted
1 tablespoon molasses
2 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon bourbon
Salt, pinch
2 cups pecans, chopped
½ teaspoon vanilla
1¾ cups small dice, cooked Daily’s® Deep Applewood Smoked Bacon

Chocolate Ganache
10.5 fl ounces heavy cream
1.8 ounces sugar
2 egg yolks
Pinch salt
14.2 ounces dark chocolate

Dulce de Leche
1 13.4 ounce can of dulce de leche or 1 can 14 ounce sweetened condensed milk submerged in simmering water for 4 hours


Garnish
Lacquered Pecans & Bacon Strips (optional)
20 full pecan halves
4 strips, Daily’s Deep Applewood Smoked Bacon, cut in half
½ cup water
1 tablespoon agave
1 tablespoon honey
½ cup sugar


METHOD
Piecrust
Chill bowl in freezer. Stir flour, sugar and salt in bowl. Cut in shortening and bacon fat until crumbling. Chill bowl.
Beat together egg, water and vinegar in separate bowl. Add egg mixture to flour mixture and stir until combined.
Chill dough overnight.
Portion dough using for crust.
Roll out to 1/8” thickness and put in pie pan. Crimp edges.
Wrap pie pan and chill until ready to fill with pecan pie filling. (Reserve remaining dough for another pie or freeze.)

Bacon Pecan Filling
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Mix brown sugar, eggs, corn syrup, butter, vanilla, molasses, whiskey and flour together. Add 1 cup bacon.
Place pecans in bottom of pie pan and pour filling batter over pecan in pan. (Will only fill about half of pie shell).
Cover edges of pie crust with foil. Bake in 350 degrees F oven for about 1 hour until filling is set. Let cool completely.

Chocolate Ganache
Stir heavy cream, sugar and yolks in a saucepan and heat until simmering to make a crème anglaise.
Pour hot crème anglaise through Chinois over top of chocolate.
Let chocolate stand for one minute.
Stir until smooth and shiny.
Cool to room temperature.

Lacquered Pecans and Bacon
Toast pecans for 5 minutes in 350 degree F oven.
Mix sugar, honey, agave and water in pan and bring to boil. Boil until syrup forms and place pecans in syrup. Cook for about two minutes.
Drain pecans.
Place half bacon strips in syrup and cook for about one minute. Drain.
Heat oil in a pan to 300 degrees F.
Place pecans in hot oil and cook for about 1 minute. Remove and drain.
Place bacon strips in oil and cook for about 1 minute. Remove and drain.
Let dry and cool completely. (optional roll in sanding sugar if desired)


PIE ASSEMBLY
Place chocolate ganache over cooled pecan filling.
Drizzle thin layer of dulce de leche over pecan filling. Add ¼ cup of remaining diced bacon.
Pour ganache over top of dulce de leche layer.
Garnish with pecan half pieces and remaining diced bacon.
Let set for at least 2 hours. Chill.

2016 APC National Pie Championship
Professional Division
David Eaheart, Open

Filling 1:

Filling 2:

Filling 3:

Instructions: