Kentucky Bourbon Pecan Pie and Coffee Pairing

From Flickr: Oceana Grill New Orleans

KENTUCKY BOURBON PECAN PIE

Classic ingredients: eggs, sugar, dark corn syrup, butter, pecans and Jim Beam Kentucky bourbon. Coffee cuts the sweetness of this dessert and pairs well with the buttery caramel pecan filling. The Pastry Chef makes the pie dough using bourbon in the dough, to add flavor and reduce the development of gluten which toughens the pastry. The salted caramel sauce mirrors the flavors of the pie.

COFFEE

Full-city roast coffee (Agtron 44-46) with acidity and fruity/floral to contrast the rich creamy dessert: Ethiopia Yirgacheffe (bright, citric and floral with clean lingering finish) or Guatemala Antigua Strictly Hard Bean, European Preparation, Fancy (winy acidity, tart-sweetness, with rich body and spicy finish) will provide enough contrast to the sticky sweetness of the Pecan Pie without overpowering the toasted nutty characters.

The complex flavors of this dessert and heavy sweetness require an intense coffee to pair.  Slightly similar with enough contradicting characters help keep each item separate on ones palette: sweet, clean coffee with low acidity, dark chocolate and molasses characters, hint of sweet ripe berry, medium to full body, with a toasty, dark caramel lingering finish.

WINE / SPIRITS

• Paired with classic, sweet dessert wine, slightly sweeter then the dessert.
• Malmsey or Bual Madeira – sweetest 2 of the 4 major Madeira grape varieties. Portuguese wine fortified with grape spirits.
• Oloroso Sherry – “Scented” sherry. Aged to produce a smoother and sweeter wine.
• PX Sherry – (Pedro Jimenez) a white grape from Spain producing an intensely sweet, dark, dessert wine.
• Bual Madeira and Oloroso Sherry both have the nuttiness to compliment the pecans and the acidity to balance the sweetness of the sugar.  The Malmsey and PX are very rich and dark, with dried fruit flavors which would enhance the chocolate.
• High quality Madeira will work very well, exhibiting toffee, molasses, pecan and nut flavors, with good acidity.