Chocolate Macadamia Pie

Pie.  When it comes to desserts, cake, ice cream, pie, etc, I'm a pie-man!  I also believe that, while the big box stores offer pie, there's nothing like filling your house with the aroma of a home-baked designer pie!  Recently, my wife and I were traveling to Hawaii for a vacation and I took the time to assemble the filling for a pie, and I poured it all into a vacuum-sealed bag and put in into my suitcase so I could surprise the guests in our condo with a homemade gem of a pie, "Bourbon Chocolate Macadamia Pie!"

Bourbon Chocolate Macadamia Pie!

A quick word about pie crust; While I believe that a properly homemade pie crust is superior in flakiness, tenderness, and appearance, I do not believe that it is superior enough to go through the tedious process of creating one from scratch.  In my own personal blind taste tests, I pick the homemade crust every time, but I'm simply not prepared to invest the time and effort to "cube cold butter" and to "rest the dough in the refrigerator," etc.  This recipe calls for "Frozen 9-inch deep dish pie crusts" and I believe the filling is so fantastic, that nobody (except for perhaps your Grandmother) will mention your lack of pie crust effort.

For the Chocolate Macadamia Pie, you will need:

• 3 eggs + 1 egg yolk
• 1 Cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1/2 Cup light corn syrup
• 1/2 Cup dark corn syrup
• 1/4 Cup bourbon (Yes.  You "need" it)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 teaspoon bread flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1-1/2 Cups Crushed Macadamia Nuts
• 3/4 Cup Milk Chocolate chips 
• One 9-inch DEEP DISH pie crust, thawed and ready to receive

Bread flour has a lot more protein strings than regular flour, these help the pie set up firmly.  So use it if you can...  In any case, you'll want to pay particularly close attention to the quantity of the ingredients here, do not use more or less than what is described, and be sure to bake it the full amount of time.
Spray some "Pam" inside of your measuring cup, so the syrup will pour out quickly and easily.  Dump your eggs (and yolks) into the bowl, turn on your mixer and get the party started... When the eggs are thoroughly mixed and bright yellow, measure exactly 1/2 cup of dark syrup and 1/2 cup of light syrup into your mixing bowl. While the mixer is turning and burning, add the bourbon, and then add the dark brown sugar, a little bit at a time.  Go slowly, you want it all to dissolve.  Drink a shot of the Bourbon in the meantime, you know, for... "fortification and courage."  Sprinkle in the flour.  Pour in the butter and a pinch of salt.  Let the mixer work for a full minute or two to make sure everything really comes together!  Turn off the mixer and use a silicon spatula to mix in the nuts and the chocolate chips.

If you look carefully, you'll see that the mix is a lighter, caramelly color.  That's because you've mixed and whipped a zillion tiny air bubbles into it.  Cover the goop with plastic and park it in the fridge to give this air a chance to escape (overnight is best).  This will keep the pie from cracking.

Preheat your oven to 350, and take the frozen pie crust out of the freezer to thaw.  When the oven is hot and your crust is ready, pour the mix into the pie crust.  Place the pie onto a cookie sheet in case it boils over, and then pop it into the oven for 55 minutes to an hour.  Keep an eye on the edges of the crust, and when they turn a nice golden brown, it's time to pull the pie!

Remove the pie and let it set up for another hour or so, before parking it in the fridge. Let it sit in the fridge for at least a couple of hours, this will make it much easier to slice.  I find that light pressure with a serrated knife, sawing back and forth works much better than the "Plunge and pull" method of slicing.  If you're slow and careful, this pie will slice like a dream!

Notice that the Macadamia Nuts floated to the top of the pie while it was in the oven.  This was awesome because they all seemed to lock together in a caramelized matrix, leaving a Bourbon/Chocolaty goo on the bottom.  My buddy Mark insisted that we top this pie with a scoop of Macadamia/Coconut Ice Cream.  Mark is wise.....