White Chocolate Pie with Rum Pecan Caramel

In a world of cookie plates, be a pie.

Do not mistake me, I am not here to turn my nose up to cookies. I ADORE cookies. That said, I am rarely interested in trying new cookies - in fact, I am pretty basic when it comes to my holiday baking list. Paper-thin sugar cookies, chewy molasses discs, and peanut butter balls are always at the top of my list due to their nostalgic qualities. Yet, at the same time, I am always looking for fun ways to switch up my Christmas treats! So…I made us a pie that is choked full of decadence and is delightfully unique.

I have shared chocolate pie in several forms here on the blog and it is always the universally-welcomed dessert, but this year, I wanted to take winter as my inspiration and try my hand at a white chocolate rendition.

Mr. Pedantic loves white chocolate and I thought that the custard-like consistency would mesh so beautifully with the soft flavors of the chocolate.

If you are at all a fan of custard pies, this is for you.

This pie is definitely going onto my list of holiday favorites because not only is it delicious, but it also comes together so quickly. Sure, it does require a few steps, but the steps are short and simple!

Oh, and let’s not forget about this caramel. If you are intimidated by caramel, I get it, but I promise that success is not out-of-reach!

This particular recipe is very easy to follow and results in a lovely, pourable, veil of toasted sugar that just happens to be scented with the warming flavors of rum and toasted pecans.

An added bonus of this recipe is that it works so well when prepped in advance! You will just need to allow the pie to sit at room temperature for about an hour so that the caramel can soften and become sliceable again.

For family gatherings, Christmas dinners, or the potluck work party you really want to shine at.

Happy baking!

Sincerely,

Pedantic Foodie

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White Chocolate Pie with Rum Pecan Caramel

SERVES 8-10

for the crust

• 10 graham crackers

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

Place crackers in the work bowl of your food processor and pulse until the crackers are broken up into fine crumbs. 

Add in the melted butter and sugar and pulse several times - until the mixture begins to fall away from the sides of the bowl.

Pour the contents of the food processor into a 9-inch pie pan and use your fingertips to press the graham cracker mixture firmly into the pan and up the sides. Bake for 8-10 minutes; until the crust is fragrant and toasted around the edges.  Allow the crust to cool while you prepare the filling. 

for the filling

• 1 cup whole milk

• 1 cup heavy cream

• 1/3 cup granulated sugar

• 15 ounces good quality white chocolate

• 2 large eggs

• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or 1 Madagascar vanilla bean

• 1/2 tablespoon amber rum

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Place chocolate into a large bowl; set aside.

Combine milk, cream, and sugar in a 3-quart saucepan and place over medium heat. Stir continuously, until the milk is steaming and the sugar has dissolved. Do not boil.

Allow the milk to cool slightly (roughly 5 minutes) before continuing with the next step.

Remove from heat and pour the milk mixture over the chocolate. Allow the mixture to sit for 5 minutes, then gently whisk to combine the chocolate and cream. Mix until the mixture is completely smooth.

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk eggs.

Slowly ladle half of the warm chocolate mixture into the eggs while whisking constantly. Pour the tempered eggs into the bowl with the remaining milk mixture, and stir in vanilla bean paste and and rum.

Strain the mixture through a fine mesh strainer and into the prepared pie crust.

Bake for 25-35 minutes; until the edges of the filling have set and are raised slightly. The center should still be wobbly.

Remove the pie from the oven and allow to cool to room temperature.

Once the pie has cooled, cover with plastic wrap and chill for 4-6 hours; until set.

Cook’s Note: If you wish to prep this pie in advance, you could stop here and store the pie in the refrigerator for up to three days. Then, roughly one hour before serving, you could prep the caramel and complete the pie. Alternatively, you can complete all steps and store the pie for 2-3 days, then soften the caramel by setting the pie out at room temperature 1-2 hours before you plan on serving it.

for the pecan caramel

• 2/3 cup pecans

• 1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon gold rum, divided

• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

• 1/2 cup heavy cream

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 300 degrees and spread the pecans evenly over the face of a small baking sheet.

Toast the pecans for 5 minutes, until fragrant, then set aside.

Pour 1/4 cup gold rum into a heavy-bottomed, 9-inch sauté pan and place over medium high heat. Allow the rum to come to a simmer, reduce heat to medium and simmer steadily for 2 minutes; until some of the alcohol has cooked off.

Reduce heat to medium low and add the sugar and butter to the pan. Ue a small spatula to keep the sugar moving so that it melts evenly.

Once all the ingredients have come together and you are left with a clear sugar syrup, stop stirring and cook until the mixture is rich amber in color. Watch the caramel closely as it will brown quickly towards the end, and do not scrape down the edges of the pan at any time. If the sugar appears to be browning unevenly, gently swirl the pan.

Once the mixture appears done, remove the pan from the heat and carefully stir in heavy cream and remaining 1 tablespoon of rum. The mixture will bubble a good deal, so be very careful during this step.

Return the pan to the heat and stir gently, being careful not to scrape the sides of the pan, until the caramel is smooth.

Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and pecans.

Pour the hot caramel over the surface of the pie and allow to cool until the caramel has set; approximately 30 minutes.

Enjoy!

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MORE HOLIDAY FAVORITES!