Kentucky Derby Pie

Leaudra and Walter Kern, the brains
behind the famous Derby-Pie.

If it's the first Saturday in May, the horses are running at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. The lucky Kentucky Derby attendees celebrate by donning their racetrack best (the women wearing spectacular hats), drinking a frosty mint julep, and eating a piece of Derby-Pie.

Derby-Pie is a close relative of pecan pie, but it's made with walnuts and chocolate. It was invented in 1954 by George Kern and his parents, Walter and Leaudra, the managers of an inn near Louisville. The Kerns spent hours in the kitchen trying to come up with just the right blend of ingredients. Once they'd got it down, they had to give the pie a name, and because each family member had a favorite, they left it to chance by literally pulling the name out of a hat.

Fourteen years later, the pie had become so popular that the Kern family elders marched off to Washington, D.C., to registers its name with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. To this day, Walter and Leaudra's heirs fiercely protect their family's pie heritage. Not only is the name a registered trademark, but the recipe itself is a closely guarded secret—only four people know the formula.

So if you want to get a taste of a real Derby-Pie, you'll either have to go to the Kentucky Derby or check derbypie.com to find out how to order one. Or you can try our delectable version of a similar pie, made with pecans, chocolate, and, in honor of the state of Kentucky, a dash of bourbon.

Chocolate-Pecan Pie

Makes 12 wedges
Like many Southern pies, and pecan pies in particular, this dessert is for those with a serious sweet tooth.

4 large eggs
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons bourbon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
One 9-inch pie shell, homemade or store-bought*
1 cup pecans (4 ounces), coarsely chopped

*If you use a store-bought pie shell already in a pie tin, be sure to get the deep-dish type, because there's a lot of filling.

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
2. In a large bowl, lightly beat the eggs. Whisk in the brown sugar, corn syrup, melted butter, bourbon, and salt.
3. Sprinkle the chocolate chips over the bottom of the pie shell. Pour in the filling. Sprinkle the pecans evenly over the top.
4. Bake until the edges of the filling are firm and the center is set but still a little quivery, like gelatin, 35 to 45 minutes. If the edges of the crust start to brown too quickly, cover with strips of foil.
5. Let cool for at least 11/2 hours to make it easier to slice. Serve warm or at room temperature. If you make the pie ahead of time and refrigerate it, you should warm it in a 275°F oven for about 15 minutes before serving to soften the chocolate just a bit.

Maple-Cream Pecan Pie: Beat 1/4 cup sour cream into the eggs in step 2. Reduce the corn syrup to 1/4 cup and replace it with 1/4 cup maple syrup. Omit the butter. Omit the bourbon. Add 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract.

[This article first appeared in the May/June 2007 issue of Hallmark Magazine.]