This recipe is an adaptation of Bayless’s Salsas That Cook (Scribner, 1998). An authority on traditional Mexican cooking, Rick Bayless is a Chicago chef and restaurateur, Frontera Grill being one of his renowned eateries. For these bars, Bayless recommends that you line your baking pan with a carefully flattened piece of heavy-durty foil to help remove them. And chilling the bars first will make them easier to cut.
Published: December 18, 2009
Ingredients
Directions
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
Spread the pecans on a baking sheet. Bake until richly browned and toasty, about 10 minutes. Let cool, then scoop into a food processor and coarsely chop by pulsing the machine on and off. Remove about 1 1/2 cups of the nuts and put in a large bowl to use in the filling.
Add half of the Mexican chocolate to the nuts in the processor and pulse the machine to mix. Add the bread; process until everything is chopped to fairly fine crumbs. Add 1/3 cup of the melted butter and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt. Process just to moisten everything. Liberally butter a 13 x 9-inch baking pan, then pat the crumb crust mixture evenly into the buttered pan. Refrigerate while you make the filling.
Add the remaining Mexican chocolate, the chopped semisweet chocolate, and the flour to the bowl with the reserved pecans.
In the food processor (you don’t even need to clean it), mix the eggs and sugar until well combined. Add the corn syrup, pulse a couple of times, then add the remaining 2/3 cup melted butter, the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, and the vanilla. Process to combine thoroughly. Pour the egg mixture over the pecan-filling mixture in the bowl, stir well, and scrape into the crust-lined pan, making an even layer.
Bake 40 to 50 minutes, or until the bars have pulled away slightly from the sides of the pan. Let cool to room temperature (and chill, if desired) before cutting into 2-inch squares.
To serve, dust the pie bars with powdered sugar and arrange on an attractive serving platter.
Pair It
A classic pairing of like with like: Pair the sweetness and spice in this chocolate dessert with a sweet, spicy LBV (Late-Bottled Vintage) Port; recommended producers include Fonseca, Warre’s and Ramos-Pinto.
