Chocolate Pecan Pie with Agave

Hi team-

I don't like to broadcast that I gave up something for Lent, because I think it is a private thing and shouldn't be done for public gratification, but I figured y'all might be worried about me, since I haven't posted too many sweet recipes since the thank-you cookie extravaganza.

It's nearing the one-month mark of Lent, and things are getting tough. It is not nearly as bad as the time I gave up fried food AND desserts--now I eat a ton of vegetables and "fresh $#!@" according to my father. I always give up sweets, because it's so hard...it's like taking away a shopaholic's credit cards. I have been pretty good about it thus far, but sometimes you want to have a cupcake your boss brought from Georgetown Cupcake, or some sticky toffee pudding from an awesome WV bakery you get in the mail as a thank-you, or the rhubarb strawberry crumble...oh wait, I cheated that night. For YOU. For the sake of that post.

Fortunately, I had an excuse to make dessert this week. I am going to a friend's house for dinner tonight, and she asked me to bring dessert. Since this pie is a gift, I'm still in the clear. That works perfectly, because 1) I've been wanting to try a pecan pie, and 2) I would feel badly turning down a dessert she had made.

I never thought I liked pecan pie, but the first time I had it (just this year), I realized what I had been missing.  I was at Molasses Grill with friends, and one ordered the bourbon pecan pie with Jack Daniel's ice cream. It was a whopping 1/6 of a deep-dish pie, and she couldn't finish it alone (wus), so I took one for the team and offered to help. The bourbon ice cream brought out the hint of bourbon in the pie, and there were also chocolate chips in the pie, yum!  It was so good, and the salty, flaky crust was perfect.

I love nuts, especially pecans, but I think I have been avoiding this pie because it's normally laden with high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS). I don't care what the propaganda commercials from the corn industry say, I try to avoid corn syrup. This particular night, the pie was too good to worry about HFCS. I found a recipe utilizing agave nectar (I played with the recipe ingredients and proportions a bit to get what I wanted). I will definitely be making this again...once Lent is over, so I will actually be able to enjoy it.

Fun fact, agave nectar is made from the same plant from which we get tequila. It is thinner than honey, has much the same consistency of maple syrup, and has an earthy sweetness.

1 pie crust
1 cup pecan pieces (roughly run your knife through the pecans if you only have halves)
1/2 cup semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate chips
1 cup agave nectar
3 eggs, beaten
1/4 t salt
1 T vanilla (OR 1 T bourbon...I left it out because I wasn't sure how much/if the pie recipients appreciated bourbon, and such an ingredient cannot be wasted)
1 T butter melted (OR I had just a bit of homemade caramel sauce in the fridge, equal substitute, no?)

Toast the pecans in a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes. Let them cool while you roll out the crust and fit it to the pie pan. Leave the oven on 350.

Now mix everything else together.

I had to nuke the caramel in the microwave for thirty seconds. Pour into the pie shell and bake for about 40 minutes or until the center is set. Cool to room temperature and store in the refrigerator. Slice and serve with ice cream and chocolate and/or caramel cause, or be healthy (HA, wishful thinking) and eat it plain.