In the fall of 2023, we made our first trip to Charleston, South Carolina, for the wedding of Megan and Ted F. It was the perfect wedding weekend celebrating this wonderful couple. In addition to many activities, we enjoyed seeing friends and tasting some amazing food. We had always heard that Charleston was home to high-quality cuisine and we agree.
On our last night there, Ed and I had a great meal at Magnolias, a restaurant that began the Lowcountry culinary renaissance in 1990. While perusing the menu, I noticed that Magnolias had recently released a cookbook (Magnolias Classic Southern Cuisine (2023)) and I asked our server if I could take a look at it. I was won over when I saw that many of the items we were eating that night were included in the book. Ed asked if the author, Chef/Culinary Arts Director Don Drake, was there that night and if so, would he sign it – he was and he did. Making it even more special.
Fast forward a month when I was beginning to plan for our Thanksgiving contributions, I reached for this cookbook to see if there was a pecan pie recipe. There was and I learned that it’s the second-most requested recipe from Magnolias, so I took that as a good sign.
Pecan pie is my favorite and this one did not disappoint. It’s a pretty traditional recipe but one thing that’s unusual is it calls for both light and dark corn syrup which gives it a richer flavor with a hint of molasses. Corn syrup is key to pecan pie. A reminder that Karo Corn Syrup contains no high fructose corn syrup – that’s the stuff we try to stay away from – so it’s a good corn syrup option.
What pushes this pie over the top is the bourbon caramel sauce. The bourbon brings out the best in the pecans. If you serve this with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream, the sauce also pairs well with them. Something to keep in mind if you have leftover sauce, too.
While the Magnolias cookbook contained a recipe for what looks to be a wonderful pie crust, I chose not to make it. It calls for White Lily all-purpose flour which is not easy to find in Pennsylvania without ordering it online. Traditional all-purpose flour contains a protein content of 12%, while White Lily’s protein content is a mere 9%, making it more similar to pastry flour than actual all-purpose flour. Knowing that can throw off my crust, I decided to go another route.
I had saved a post from the Wine Enthusiast, The Secret to Homemade Pie Crust Is in Your Liquor Cabinet, and decided to give this recipe a try. “Vodka is the secret ingredient for a tender pie crust,” says Jessica Gavin, a culinary scientist. “The good news is the alcohol will vaporize in the oven, so the pie crust doesn’t have a lingering boozy taste.” The technique was developed by J. Kenji López-Alt who is a master at the science behind cooking, so I thought I’d give it a try as I’ve had success with some of his other recipes.
The vodka did the trick. The crust came together without any issues and was easy to roll out. I used King Arthur all-purpose flour which has a protein content of 11.7%. López-Alt has tested it with the same amount of bourbon, Cognac, tequila, vodka and gin – all with good results. You can see pictures of the process of making the dough here, just keep in mind that that recipe makes two pie crusts – I cut the ingredients in half in the pie crust recipe in this post.
While I hope you’ll make the full recipe as written, feel free to make the pie with a different crust, use this crust for another pie or skip the pie all together and enjoy the bourbon caramel sauce.
| Southern Pecan Pie with Bourbon Caramel Sauce | Print |
- 1-1/4 cups all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon plus ½ teaspoon sugar
- 7 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold, cut into cubes
- 2 tablespoons vegetable shortening (such as Crisco), chilled and cubed
- 2 tablespoons ice water
- 2 tablespoons cold vodka, divided
- 3 eggs
- ½ cup dark brown corn syrup
- ½ cup light brown corn syrup
- ¼ cup sugar
- 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
- Pinch of Kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups pecans, lightly toasted
- 1-1/2 cups sugar
- ⅓ cup water
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1-1/2 cups heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons bourbon
- Pinch of Kosher salt
- Serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream, if desired
- Place the flour, salt and sugar in the bowl of a large food processor fitted with a blade attachment and pulse 2 to 3 times to combine.
- Add the cubed butter and shortening to the bowl of the food processor and pulse 2 to 4 times until pea-sized clumps start to form.
- Pour the water and 1 tablespoon of vodka into the spout of the food processor so it slowly drizzles over the mixture, pulsing 2 to 3 times to combine.
- Using your fingertips, feel if the dough is crumbly. If so, add the rest of the vodka through the spout of the food processor, pulsing 1 to 2 more times. If it feels sticky and holds together when you pinch it between your fingers, reserve the rest of the vodka for another purpose.
- Press the dough into a 4-inch disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour and up to two days.
- When you’re ready to use your pie crust, roll each disk out on a lightly floured surface to an approximately 11-inch circle.
- Transfer to a 9-inch pie dish and press or crimp ends.
- Chill, uncovered, in the refrigerator for at least one hour before baking.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, dark brown corn syrup, light brown corn syrup, sugar, butter, salt and vanilla.
- Spread the pecans in the bottom of the prepared pie shell.
- Pour the filling over the pecans.
- Bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until the filling has set. Halfway through baking, rotate the pie.
- Allow the pie to cool at room temperature for at least 1 hour or refrigerate until cool before cutting.
- In a medium saucepan (at least 2-1/2 quarts), add sugar and water and stir. Do not stir again (I mean it!) as crystallization can occur. If there are any sugar crystals on the side of the saucepan, whip down with a wet pastry brush. This is also to prevent crystallization.
- Place the saucepan over medium to low heat until the sugar begins to dissolve, about 5 to 10 minutes. Turn the heat up to medium-high and cook until the sugar begins to caramelize, about 5 to 7 minutes. The mixture will become amber in color, similar to tea. Reminder, do not sir while this is happening.
- Watch and smell the mixture closely because it goes from caramel to burnt quickly.
- Turn off the heat and stand back to avoid being splattered on by the caramel.
- Slowly add the butter and cream. The cream will bubble violently – don’t panic – and the caramel might solidify.
- Simmer over low heat, stirring constantly until caramel dissolves and the sauce is smooth, about 1 minute.
- Stir in the bourbon and salt. Allow the sauce to cool to room temperature. The sauce will thicken as it cools.
- The sauce can be prepared 3 days in advance and refrigerated once cooled. Serve it warm by heating it on medium in the microwave, stirring every 30 seconds.
- Serve a slice of pie drizzled with the bourbon caramel sauce and topped with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream, if desired.
* You can see pictures of the process of making the dough here, just keep in mind that that recipe makes two pie crusts – I cut the ingredients in half in the pie crust recipe in this post.
Source: Adapted from Don Drake’s Magnolias Classic Southern Cuisine (2023) and the Wine Enthusiast
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