Chocolate Bourbon Hazelnut Pie with a Mesquite Barbecue Potato Chip Crust

This is made for vanilla ice cream; more specifically, caramel swirl-vanilla.  Maybe ice cream was made for this, not the reverse logic of it; not whipped cream.  It’s a classy pie.  It spells elegance with the hazelnuts that are easy to crack; some are cracked whole.  That’s the beauty of this pie, it does what it wants to do, and it demands chocolate to pair with.  It’s meant to be.  They are successful partners in their own right.  So why not vanilla ice cream to accentuate such a nice combination, such a winning team of rich flavor that is laced in bourbon?

You don’t have to wait for Thanksgiving to make this pie.  The Kentucky Derby celebrated their famous pie again, the chocolate pecan; this is close to that except it’s got the unpopular nut, the hazelnut, though not inferior to pecan.  I had them frozen, still left in their shells from a time back.  They made their debut from the bottom of my freezer space.

I’m glad to have made this pie while choosing something even more unusual– mesquite barbecue potato chips ground and put into the crust.  It still makes a flaky crust even though it stands upright without appearing to be falling apart with crunch.  It has a certain hint of something that you’d never know unless told that it’s barbecue-flavored, shyly present.  I like to sneak those tiny things in that make it uniquely good in a different way.  Why not?  It’s worth enjoying the experiment of what we have here at our fingers, what we are given by God to enjoy and embark on through a fleeting moment.  It’s a good quality to be different, to think outside the box, to embrace changes no matter how difficult they might be.  It’s growth, and it can be a fun challenge.  It’s developing a deeper concept of life’s matters, also in a spiritual way.  I’m writing outside the box, here; I’m going beyond a pie recipe. I’m typing this for someone who will always have a special place in my heart.  I hope he is rejoicing with the angels, with the reality of what living is all about, in a good place with God.

I think he loved barbecue chips.  He might have outgrown them as he grew up from a child into his adult years.  I have sweet memories of him and his once-favorite chip in all the world; so I’m incorporating it into crust for this pie.

I remember the holidays when we had my father’s pies, his homemade pies that he would spend hours making for the following day for a holiday gathering.  And there were the pies of our aunt’s as well as my mother’s.  The pie theme stood out in our family for a good reason:  They were all good!  They seem to have held more relevance than the turkey and dressing if I can remember just right!  This is a pie my father would have lovingly made and enjoyed baking, so I hope you will enjoy it as much as I enjoyed making it from the heart and memory of what family stood for and what it still stands for, to me.

 It’s not solely about food when you make something for your family; it goes so much further, so much deeper than that.  It’s more than memory and devotion, more than a selection and a purpose.  It’s home, it’s belonging.  It’s home even apart and away from this world where we can ultimately go and be greeted in full acceptance and love forevermore with those who have gone on before us, with God.  It’s meant to be, it’s meant to be a forever dwelling place that is whole and perfect.  This pie is symbolic to that kind of love and devotion.  Some hazelnuts are whole and some are broken.  They become a whole pie, one complete being, every ingredient needed.  It harmoniously comes together.

For the pie crust, make sure everything has been chilled and remains cold, even the white vinegar.

Finely crush Lay’s Stax brand Mesquite Barbecue flavored chips for 1/2 cup.

In the work bowl of a food processor, pulse 1 1/2 cups flour, the 1/2 cup ground potato chips, a pinch of salt, and 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter.  Through a fine stream in the upper compartment of the food processor, drizzling through it, add 1 teaspoon cold white vinegar and just a little ice-cold water.  Be careful not to incorporate too much water or the crust will toughen; just enough at a time for the crust to come together.  Also make sure that the butter is processed into small pieces, still visible, not fully blended.  This way, when it bakes in pie form, the small amounts of butter will melt and disperse to make a flaky crust.  It’s in the technique, not only in measurements and temperature when it comes to making a flaky crust that aids tremendously in making a good pie.  Form and pat into a round and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

You can smell the mesquite barbecue chips in the pie dough!   Do not over-handle the dough.  Roll with care to also prevent any toughness, in this way, for when it is baked.  Don’t stretch the dough.  Work it in a circular motion and roll it thin but not too thin.  Everything is a balance to make it just right, even with a pie.  You don’t want it to tear from being too thin in places when the filling is baking into the dough and resting in the shell.

This dough will seem like it’s got a lot of elasticity in it for it to be a flaky crust but surprisingly, it has its right baking consistency and it is strong to hold an edge while baking to a flaky finish.  The salt in the chips help, seems to tenderize the crust while baking.  It is giving.  The crust even develops a slight orange color from the chips.  It’s ideal for hazelnuts.

Place the dough in the pie plate, put back into the fridge while making the filling so the pie dough will stay chilled, just right for baking.

Let the hazelnuts break apart or remain whole as they naturally fall out of their shells.  It’s more attractive for the pie as well as the versatility in eating them, for texture, in the baked filling.  Have 2 cups, toast them without heating them too done.  It will only take a few minutes in a skillet on the stove or in the oven, constantly shuffling them about.  This will make the nut flavor taste even better, complimenting the chocolate.

Melt and cool 1 stick salted butter.  Beat 3 jumbo-size eggs, then mix in the cooled melted butter.  Measure and stir into egg and butter mixture 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, 3/4 cup sorghum, 1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar, and 1 tablespoon bourbon.  Pour into pie shell and bake at a well-heated 375º oven for 25 to 30 minutes.

There will be slight cracks in the top of the pie and good coloring on the crust.  You want a little bit of a gooeyness while baking firm enough for it to be set.  Allow to cool completely before serving to obtain complete form as far as solidity goes.  It will be gooey without falling apart, preventing the filling being thin.  It needs to set up, will even taste better at room or cold temperature.

It is a beautiful pie.  The dark color can almost be black.  It makes a difference with the hazelnuts being toasted, pronounces the flavor.  The crust is like an autumn color.  Keep covered when chilled in the refrigerator.  Don’t forget to top with ice cream.

 maximum flavor in quality and texture