Salted Bourbon Caramel Pecan Pie — to die for

Recipe by Fat Toad Farm Intern and baker extraordinaire Geneva Wrona

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

1/3 c. chilled butter plus chilled lard (I do about half and half, but any proportion will work)

1 c. flour

1 T. powdered sugar (optional)

1 T. apple cider vinegar

2 or more T. ice water

Use your fingers to work the flour and powdered sugar into the cold butter/lard until you have a relatively uniform, crumbly mixture. Make a “well” in the middle of the mixture and pour the vinegar plus 1 T. ice water into the well. Use one finger to incorporate the liquid, starting from the center of the well and working outward. Add ice water 1 T. at a time until you have a dough that holds together in a ball, but does not stick to your hands. If it is too crumbly, add ice water 1 t. at a time. If it is too sticky, add flour 1 T. at a time. This dough can be made ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator for several days, or in the freezer for several weeks. Form the dough into a disk and roll out on a floured surface. Place the crust into a greased 9″ pie dish and prick the bottom several times with a fork.

1 c. brown sugar

1/4 c. white sugar

1/2 t. fine grain sea salt

1/2 c. butter, melted

1/4 c. boiling water

4 eggs, beaten well

1 T. goat’s milk (or any kind of milk)

1 1/2 t. vanilla extract OR bourbon

2 c. raw pecans

1/4 c. Fat Toad Farm Salted Bourbon Caramel, plus about 1/4 c. more for top

Mix the brown sugar, white sugar, salt and melted butter. Add the boiling water. Stir until sugar and salt dissolve. Add the beaten eggs and milk, and mix well. If you want a very boozy-tasting pie, add 1 1/2 t. bourbon. Otherwise, add 1 1/2 t. vanilla extract. I prefer the bourbon. Mix in the pecans. Spread 1/4 c. caramel on bottom of prepared crust. Heat up the caramel first if it helps to spread it. Pour the filling into the crust and bake at 400 degrees F for 10 minutes, and then reduce the heat to 350. Bake about 30 minutes more, or until the pie puffs up, and a knife inserted into the center comes out relatively clean. Cool the pie for at least two hours. Before serving, drizzle about 1/4 c. more caramel on top. It helps to heat up the caramel for this step as well. Try putting it in the microwave for about 20 seconds.