When in Lexington, eat pie. Four days spent in Kentucky meant for me, consuming four slices of some variation of pecan pie. Lexington was simply too wonderful to resist the gastronomic, bluegrass plate specials it holds near and dear. In fact, Lexington was so wonderful, I have thought about that trip in early June nearly every day since. There is something about Kentuckians that Ohioans simply can't understand, myself included. We are scheduled Yankees. We keep store hours. We keep to the hands of the clock. Kentuckians keep to the hands of their own tune, fiddled or picked out depending on the day. Kentuckians keep Kentucky hours which range from waking at one's own leisure to rousing at one's own discretion, to eating at one's own, well, call of hunger. Except in the case of Lexington, of course, where they keep horse hours. Early morning feeding, work-outs, grooming, clipping and clopping sounds keep the pace of life, beat by beat in the Horse Capital of the world.
We spent three days in Lexington, and one day visiting a dear friend in the mountains of rural, nearly desolate South Eastern Kentucky, in the shadow of Daniel Boone and the amongst the ghosts of a people driven from their own peaks and valleys. In Lexington we found the most enchanting corner store you'd ever hope to find, nestled between horse farms and pastures of mares and colts on each surrounding corner. The Windy Corner Market is a place I hope to find myself again, sooner than later, preferably in a state of feeling famished and with no where else to go for hours and hours. Locally raised meats, a steaming pile of barbecued pulled pork shoulder heaped atop of a buttery, gritty corn griddle cake was my first indulgence. Accompanied by a paper-cup full of smoky soup beans, and a dish of crunchy, creamy, sweet slathered coleslaw, this is what I imagine Kentuckians eat, and this is what I wanted as we sat on the screened in porch, breathing in Kentucky and her nostalgic air.
Dessert that night was a slice of, hands down, the best pecan pie I'd ever had--perhaps until now. Thinking fondly of that trip, and at the request of Tiffany and her insatiable love for pie, I baked my own version of the pie I had that night at Windy Corner Market. Because corn syrup is not one of my most valued or beloved refined products, I decided to use a recipe that required only a syrup produced naturally--honey. While we were in Lexington, we stopped and toured the Wild Turkey bourbon distillery. While there, I might have come home with a token of my appreciation of their age old, purely American craft, in the form of a bottle of their "bourbon for the faint of heart," American Honey. Without question, a good glug of it made it into the pecan pie.
For those of you who may want to find yourselves temporarily transported to the Bluegrass State, to a warm and humid evening on a wrap around front porch, in the care of a rocking chair, and in the company of just the passing horses and neighboring crickets, try this recipe. Always remember to buy local and eat well--local honey is by far, the best.
Queen Honeybea's
Honey-Bourbon Pecan Pie
Crust:
1/2 cup of organic, all-purpose flour
1/2 cup of white whole-wheat flour
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/3 cup cold, hard butter
2 TBS. bourbon (or water)
Filling:
1/2 cup of very soft butter
1 cup of organic cane sugar
3 whole eggs
1/3 cup local honey
1/4 cup bourbon
1/4 tsp. sea salt
a pinch between two fingers of baking soda
1 cup of freshly chopped pecans
1/2 cup whole pecan halves
1. For the crust, combine the flours and salt. Cut in the butter (I use a food processor) until the crumbs resemble peas or slightly smaller. Add in the bourbon and mix until a smooth, coherent dough forms. Roll the pie crust out to fit a 9 inch round pie pan. Shape into the pan, and roll the edges under. Flute and set aside.
2. For the filling, cream the butter and sugar together until well blended and smooth (using your favorite wooden spoon, of course). Add the eggs one at a time, blending well after each addition until the filling is consistent and smooth. Add the honey, bourbon, sea salt and soda and mix well. Fold in the chopped pecans and pour into the prepared pie shell. Top with the whole pecan halves.
3. Bake the pie in a 375 degree oven for 50 minutes, or until the pie is set in the center (it should not be liquidy at all, and should not jiggle when you move the pan). You may have to put a foil ring around the crust to prevent it from burning.
4. Cool completely and slice. Top with a dollop of fresh whipped cream.
