Run for the Roses

Crisis: You're invited to a Derby Party. You've got a dress picked out and a wide-brimmed hat ready to go, but you can't possibly show up empty handed!

Solution: DERBY PIE

I've always wanted to try my hand at making a Derby Pie. They look so gooey and soft and full of bourbon (yes, booze in pie = awesome).

The recipe I used is from Martha Stewart, because I remembered her making it on the show last year. Naturally, I modified it just a touch. First of all, as this was a last minute baking plan (read: Friday night at 11pm -- party on Saturday) I knew I'd be taking some short cuts. Unfortunately, my local grocery store was not willing to make things so easy. Try as I might, I could not find a pre-made pie crust shell. They had the kind where you roll it out yourself, but I knew I'd be out partying all day and did not want to have to worry about dragging one of my own pie dishes home. So I improvised by using a graham cracker crust. This was a very untraditional move. But it worked out in the end.

This pie is really quite simple and only involves a bit of stirring and some channeling of your inner Southern Belle. It only calls for eggs, butter, sugar, flour, chocolate chips and pecans all mixed up into a sticky batter. The stickiness gets thinned out (and amped up) by a healthy dose of pure Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey.

Fortunately, some wayward party-goer had left an almost empty bottle of Maker's Mark at our last soiree. It was just under a quarter of a cup -- exactly what I needed! Fate had intervened.

Once everything's mixed together, you just pour it into your perfect homemade pie crust that you slaved over...er...I mean, store bought graham cracker crust. Whatever works.

Now, if you're like me, you might think this pie looks a little strange when it comes out of the oven. It looks kind of like an egg casserole. I was not impressed. Hence the last minute dark chocolate topping.

Here's the finished makeshift Derby Pie cooling on top of its dessert neighbor (the aformentioned brownies). If you're a baker and you live in New York, you must invest in tiered cooling racks. They are so choice. If you have the means, I highly recommend picking one up. They really maximize the space in my tiny Brooklyn kitchen.