Orange, Pecan, and Chocolate Pie – Oh My!

This pie can be made a month in advance and frozen.  The trick is not to bake it.  Stop the recipe before the chocolate drizzle and orange sauce and freeze, wrapped in plastic wrap and two plastic grocery bags.

This pie comes with its own pastry recipe.  To save time, you can use a pre-made Pillsbury pie crust from the refrigerator section of your grocery store, it just won’t have the orange flavor.

Orange Pastry

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon grated orange peel
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon shortening
• 2 – 3 tablespoons cold water

Put all ingredients except water in a food processor with metal blade and pulse until it forms a ball (adding cold water as needed to help it along).  Roll pastry on floured board to 2 inches larger than a deep-dish 9-inch pie plate.  Ease pastry into plate, pressing firmly against bottom and side.  Trim overhanging edge of pastry 1 inch from rim of plate.  Fold and roll pastry under, even with plate, and flute with fingertips.

Pie Filling

• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 1 cup corn syrup
• 1 to 2 tablespoons orange liqueur (Grand Marnier or Triple Sec)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup pecan halves
• 1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 teaspoon shortening

Beat sugar, butter, corn syrup, liqueur, salt and eggs until smooth.  Stir in pecans and pour into pastry-lined pie plate.  The pie is now ready to freeze –  wrap the uncooked pie in plastic wrap, cover it in foil, then wrap it in two plastic grocery bags.  Put pie in the freezer until the day before you want to serve it.  Defrost in the refrigerator overnight and leave it on the counter for a couple of hours before putting in the oven (it needs to be thoroughly defrosted). When ready to bake, cook in a 375 degree oven for 40 – 50 minutes – check on pie to make sure crust is not excessively browning.  Cover edge with a 2 – 3 inch wide strip of aluminum foil if it is turning too brown.  Cool pie for 15 minutes.  Heat chocolate chips and shortening until melted; drizzle over top of pie.  Serve with Orange Sauce.

Orange Sauce

• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 3/4 cup fresh-squeezed orange juice
• 2 tablespoons orange liqueur
• 1 tablespoon grated orange peel

Mix sugar and cornstarch in 1-quart saucepan.  Stir in orange juice and liqueur.  Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and boils.  Boil and stir 1 minute, then stir in orange peel.