#248 - The Food of Texas

Caroline Stuart, author of "The Food of Texas," joins Carol to share a few delectable Texas treats, including Grady Spears' Chocolate Pecan Pie with Chocolate Gravy.

Texas Sweet Onion Pie

Serves 8

3 tablespoons butter

4 cups thinly sliced Texas sweet onions

1 cup milk

1 teaspoon salt

4 teaspoons all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon chile powder

1/2 pound Monterey Jack cheese, grated

3 eggs

1  9-inch deep-dish pie shell, unbaked

Preheat the oven to 350° F. In a sauté pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onions and sauté until tender, about 8-10 minutes. Meanwhile, put the milk and salt in a saucepan over medium heat to scald, then set aside to cool. In a bowl, stir together the flour and the chile powder, then add the cheese and toss to mix. In another bowl, whisk the eggs until blended, then stir them into the scalded milk. Add the cheese mixture and mix well. Drain any liquid from the sautéed onions and spoon them into the pie shell. Pour the egg-and-cheese mixture over the onions to fill the pie shell. Bake until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool on a rack. Serve warm.

Chicken Mole

Serves 4; yields 2 1/3 cups sauce

1 tablespoon olive oil plus 2 tablespoons

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 medium onion, chopped

2 tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped

1 1/2 teaspoons chopped almonds

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon cumin

3/4 teaspoon salt plus 1/2 teaspoon

1 tablespoon raisins

2 dried chile peppers, seeded and chopped

1/2 cup chicken stock

1/2 teaspoon chile powder

1 ounce semisweet chocolate

1 chicken, quartered

Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and onion and sauté for several minutes until tender. Transfer to a blender and add the tomatoes, almonds, cinnamon, cumin, 3/4 teaspoon of the salt, raisins, dried chiles, chicken stock, and chile powder. Process until very smooth, about 10 minutes. Pour the mixture into a saucepan, add the chocolate, and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes to blend the flavors. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Sprinkle the chicken quarters with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. In a skillet, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add the chicken quarters and brown well on all sides, but do not cook through. Place the browned chicken in a deep baking dish and cover with the mole sauce. Bake until the chicken meat pulls easily away from the bones, about 40 minutes.

Chocolate Pecan Pie with Chocolate Gravy

Serves 4 to 6

4 (4-inch) unbaked tart shells, or 1 (9-inch) unbaked pie shell

Chocolate Gravy:

3/4 pound dark chocolate, grated

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1/2 cup light corn syrup

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup unsalted butter, diced

Pie:

4 eggs

1/3 cup sugar

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

2 cups dark corn syrup

1 cup chocolate gravy

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 1/2 cups pecan halves

To serve:

Vanilla ice cream

To make the chocolate gravy, place the grated chocolate in a mixing bowl. In a saucepan, combine the cream, corn syrup, and sugar and heat to 180° F. Pour the heated mixture over the chocolate and stir until the chocolate has completely melted. Fold in the butter until it has melted and is well incorporated. Reserve. To make the pie, preheat the oven to 375° F. Place the eggs in a bowl and beat until pale yellow by hand or with a mixer. Gradually add the sugar and flour, beating until well incorporated. Fold in the corn syrup, 1 cup of the chocolate gravy, salt, and pecans. Pour the mixture into the tart shells or pie shell. Bake until the filling has set, about 1 hour. Transfer to a rack to cool. To serve, top each wedge of pie or each tart with a scoop of ice cream and drizzle the remaining chocolate gravy over the top.

>Recipes from The Food of Texas by Caroline Stuart (Periplus Editions (HK) Ltd.)

>Chocolate Pecan Pie with Chocolate Gravy recipe by Grady Spears, Reata Restaurants, Alpine/Fort Worth

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