Upside-Down Chocolate Pecan Pie & Parmesan Crusted Pork Chops

Hello, foodies…

Our ITKWD road trip continues! From sunny North Carolina we go to...sunny Galveston, Texas, where we found the inspiration for this shut-the-front-door-good Upside-Down Chocolate Pecan Pie.

Upside-Down Chocolate Pecan Pie
Serves 8

This recipe is prepared with the Technique® Set of 2 Lightweight Cast Iron Frying Pans (K39699).

Go to David's Recipe Item Page for the full list of items that David has used in his recipes.

Ingredients:

• 1-1/4 sticks unsalted butter
• 1/3 cup honey
• 2/3 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/8 cup granulated sugar
• 10 oz pecan halves, toasted
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 (9") refrigerated pie dough
• 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips, melted

Preparation:

1. Place the butter, honey, and both sugars in a 10" cast-iron skillet set over medium-low heat. Stir until the ingredients are melted and bring the mixture to a boil. Boil for 5 minutes, stirring often. Add the pecans, heavy cream, and vanilla, and boil for 3 more minutes. Remove the pan from the heat. Set aside and cool for 20 minutes.
2. Position an oven rack on the middle level and preheat the oven to 400°F. Roll out the refrigerated pie dough over the skillet, pressing down against the pecan filling. Fold in the edges of the pie dough, about 1/4", and press to seal it. Cut a 1-1/2" slit in the middle of the pie.
3. Place the skillet on a metal baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F, and continue baking for 13–15 more minutes, or until golden brown and the caramel is bubbling around the edges of the skillet. Remove the pie from the oven, and let it cool about 15 minutes.
4. Carefully invert the pie onto a serving plate. (If there are any pecans that stick to the skillet, just scrape them off with a spatula and place them on top of the other pecans.) Let the pie cool for 15 minutes. Pour the melted chocolate chips into a piping bag and draw stripes on top of the pie. (Or, just drizzle on the chocolate with a spoon.) Cut and serve warm.

Meet, Naoma, foodies:

Naoma wrote to us about her favorite restaurant—Gaido’s—which is hop, skip, and a jump away from Texas A&M at Galveston. Gaido’s is famous in Galveston because of its food and its incredible spirit. When Hurricane Ike hit in 2005, the restaurant set up tables in its parking lot—due to damage to its own facility—and fed misplaced folks in the parking for free. And on top of that, Naoma says the food there is fresh, made-from-scratch, and great. They still peel their own gulf shrimp, they shuck local Galveston oysters, and filet the fish the same way they have for almost 100 years. But her favorite food, by far, is their Upside-Down Pecan Pie, hence the recipe we shared above.

Just a quick note about our pecan pie, foodies…it's important to allow the filling to cool before placing the dough on top, because the heat of the mixture can actually start baking the crust. After baking, you must let the pie rest otherwise the pecan filling will ooze all over the plate.

Now that you've got dessert for tonight. Here’s your main course…my Parmesan Crusted Pork Chops. I posted this a while back as my “what’s for dinner photo” on Facebook and lots of you asked for the recipe.

Parmesan-Crusted Pork Chops

Ingredients:

• 1 (4.2-oz) box seasoned coating mix for pork (such as Oven Fry)
• 2/3 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 egg white, whisked
• 4 medium boneless pork chops, about 1” thick
• 4 Tbsp butter

Preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Combine the coating mix and cheese in a medium-size shallow dish. Place the egg white in a bowl and dip each pork chop, coating both sides. One at a time, press each pork chop into the coating mixture forming a thick crust on both sides. (Optional—if you have a Deni, place the coated chops on a cutting board and tenderize.
2. Melt the butter over medium heat in a large oven-safe, hard-anodized skillet. Make sure the butter is evenly coated in the pan. Place the chops in the pan and cook until crispy on both sides, about 2–3 minutes. You may need to add a bit more butter to the pan before flipping the meat. (I always add more!)
3. Place the skillet in the oven and bake for 10-15 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 145°F. Serve and enjoy!

I’ll see you on Sunday at Noon ET for In the Kitchen with David.

Keep it flavorful!
—David