Chocolate Pecan Chess Pie with Bourbon Vanilla Bean Caramel Sauce

Yields
1 9-inch pie and enough sauce for each slice (plus a little extra for the chef)

from The Local Palate's Test Kitchen

6 ounces bittersweet chocolate

1½ sticks unsalted butter

6 tablespoons whole milk

6 tablespoons cream

2 teaspoons vanilla

1½ cups sugar

¼ teaspoon salt

5 eggs

2½ tablespoons cornmeal

1 cup pecan halves

1 pie shell, par baked (pre baked for 15 minutes in 350 degree oven)

Bourbon Vanilla Bean Caramel Sauce

1¾ cups sugar

3 tablespoons water

½ cup cream, room temperature

4 sticks unsalted butter, sliced, room temperature

½ vanilla bean

2 tablespoons bourbon

For pie, melt chocolate and butter together over a double boiler. While still warm, stir in milk, cream, and vanilla until homogenous.
Stir in the sugar and salt.
Combine eggs and cornmeal in a bowl and then add to the chocolate mixture, stirring until smooth. Pour into a par-baked pie shell and then top the filling with whole pecan halves.
Bake at 325 degrees for 45-60 minutes.
For bourbon vanilla cream sauce, combine sugar and water in a small saucepan. Stir until sugar is fully moistened.
Place pan over medium heat and cook without stirring until sugar begins to caramelize around the edges. Once sugar is a medium brown color around edges, turn off heat and gently swirl pan until sugar is the same color throughout. Note: Be careful because the sugar is VERY hot.

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