The Accidental Pastor's Wife

Ask and you shall receive, ladies! I lived in Louisville, KY for a few years and it was probably my favorite place to live. It's considered the northern most city in the southern part of the United States, so it had the best of both cultures, in my opinion.

You probably know about the most famous two minutes in sports: the Kentucky Derby held the first Saturday of May each year at Churchill Downs. I've never attended the event (It's expensive and the cheap seats are filled with stupid drunk people.) but there's a pie to commemorate it: The Derby Pie

Now, in restaurants all over Kentucky this pie is actually trademarked by Kern's Kitchens in Louisville. "Kern's Kitchens" is actually stamped all along the crust of the pie. You can also purchase them for about $13 at grocery stores. A restaurant cannot call it's chocolate nut pie a Derby Pie unless it was made in Kern's Kitchens.

Well, that doesn't stop good cooks all over the Bluegrass State from concocting their own versions, and I got my version from a longtime Kentucky resident.

So there's the story of the famous Derby Pie!

Kentucky Derby Pie

1 c sugar
1/2 c flour
2 beaten eggs
1 stick butter, melted and cooled slightly
3/4 c chopped pecans
3/4 c semi sweet chocolate chips
1 t vanilla
2 T Kentucky Bourbon-optional
unbaked pie shell

(This first step is disputed in our home. I like it, hubby doesn't so for him I don't soak the nuts.)

Heat oven to 350.

Soak the nuts in bourbon. Set aside, draining excess bourbon off.

Mix sugar and flour. Add eggs and butter. Add nuts, chips, and vanilla. Pour into unbaked pie shell and bake for 30 minutes at 350.

TIPS:
I have had to cover it in foil and cook longer on occasion, watching it every 5-10 minutes or so. It should be chewy, not runny. I check it with a toothpick.

You must let this cool completely before cutting it. In fact, I try to make it the day before. It tastes better that way!

One more story about it:

When I was tired and 4 months pregnant with my little girl and very nauseated and tired and all that, I had just finished hubby's birthday pie and had it cooling on the counter. My stupid dog, the over-sized Sheltie, got on the counter and ate the top out of the ENTIRE pie. I held that grudge for a long time...I'm very careful about my Derby pies. I ended making him another one.