Southern Chocolate Pecan Pie

Southern cooks are proud of their pecan pies, and this Dallas special is hard to beat because it boasts lots of pecans plus semisweet chocolate.

3/4 cup semisweet chocolate pieces

1 unbaked 9-inch pastry shell*

3 slightly beaten eggs

2/3 cup sugar

1/2 cup light-colored corn syrup

1/2 cup dark-colored corn syrup

1/3 cup butter, melted

Dash salt

1 cup pecan halves

Sprinkle chocolate pieces evenly over bottom of unbaked pastry shell; set aside. For filling, in a medium bowl, combine eggs, sugar, corn syrups, butter, and salt. Stir well. Stir in pecans. Carefully pour the filling over chocolate pieces in pastry shell.

To prevent overbrowning, cover edge of pie with foil. Bake in a 350 degree F oven for 25 minutes. Remove foil. Bake 20 to 25 minutes more or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool completely on a wire rack. Refrigerate within 2 hours. Cover pie for longer storage in refrigerator.

Makes 8 servings

*Test Kitchen Tip: For the 9-inch pastry shell, prepare your favorite single-crust pastry, use 1 unbaked refrigerated piecrust (1/2 of a 15-ounce package), or use one 9-inch frozen deep-dish pastry shell. (If you use a frozen pastry shell, a deep-dish one is essential to hold all of the filling.)

AUTHOR: Bev