Red Chile Pecan Pie

Pecan pie just might be my favorite pie, and it's truly spectacular with a little red chile in it! In fact, I love to add red chile to all kinds of sweet things. Did you know? The pecan is a species of hickory, native to the southern U.S. and Mexico. New Mexico pecans are in season right now, and many orchards sell them online. At the Los Ranchos winter market last weekend, I found a man selling pecans from his own front-yard tree. Many people grow the tall, beautiful pecan as a shade tree in the Albuquerque area, but since our growing season is a few weeks shorter here than in southern New Mexico, they don't usually produce a crop. Thanks to an extra-late frost this year, we got lucky!

This recipe is adapted from one on www.allrecipes.com, and unlike most pecan pies, it does not call for corn syrup. It's not quite as sweet as some, which I prefer, and I used lots of extra pecans. It's not quite enough custard for a deep dish pie, so if you're worried that it won't fill your pie dish, just add another egg and another 1/2 tablespoon of milk.

2 eggs

1 C. brown sugar

¼ C. white sugar

½ C. melted butter

2 T. red chile powder

1 T. all-purpose flour

1 T. milk

1 t. bourbon or vanilla extract

2 C. chopped pecans

1 pre-made 9-inch pie shell

Preheat oven to 400ºF. In a large bowl, beat eggs until foamy. Stir in melted butter, brown sugar, and flour. Mix thoroughly, then gently stir in milk, vanilla and pecans. Pour into an unbaked 9-inch pie shell. Cover the edges with foil, and bake at 400ºF for 10 minutes. Remove the foil, reduce the temperature to 350ºF, and bake for about 20-30 minutes longer, until the center is just set – the whole pie should jiggle as one mass when gently shaken.