Appetite | Pour me another slice of pie

After posting earlier today about rum cake, I cruised through our food wire and was surprised at the number of alcohol-themed desserts being offered for this year's Valentine's Day. I'm a big fan of cooking with booze, generally. It can add unique flavors, and of course pack the double punch of making you feel happier than you would just normally eating cake — and cake already makes me pretty happy, so that's saying something.

There are some things to know about cooking with alcohol. For one thing, if you don't like the flavor of a particular booze, you probably still won't like it in food. For instance, I once made a Margarita Pie. But I hate tequila. It was awful. My husband, who loves margaritas, thought it was a joy.

Also, when the booze is put in something before baking or heating, most of it burns off, meaning you are left with the flavor but not the the alcohol content (so you could safely bring it work). Depsite this, it is courteous to alert people that alcohol was used in any given food item, regardless of whether you think it's baked off. People with a health or religious issue or addiction will appreciate your consideration.

Some more tips, courtesy The Washington Post

— "Think about the flavor of your dessert when deciding what sort of liquor to use," says Valerie Lifhack, of the baking supply store La Cuisine in Alexandria, Va. "Accentuate flavors, like by putting Chambord cassis liqueur with a berry tart."

— Use alcohol to moisten a dry cake, say, by adding Myers’s Rum to a coconut angel food cake concoction

— Don't be heavy-handed. If you put too much liquor into whipping cream or a glaze, the effect could resemble one of those bad mix-your-own drinks on an airplane.

And now, some recipes, including that Margarita Pie, if you so happen to like tequila. Note: When I made this, I tried to use a premade graham cracker crust. That didn't work out. Go the distance with it and I'm sure it'll be better.

Margarita Pie

2 1/3 oz pretzels (about 2 cups)

1 Tbsp sugar

2 Tbsp light butter, at room temperature

6 oz frozen limeade concentrate, slightly thawed

4 cups light vanilla ice cream

1-1/2 oz tequila, about 3 tbsp

1/2 fl oz orange-flavored liqueur

1 tsp lime zest

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a food processor or blender, process pretzels into crumbs; add sugar and pulse until combined. Add butter and mix well. With machine running, add 2 tablespoons of limeade concentrate; process until well-mixed.

Spoon mixture into an ungreased 9-inch pie plate. With back of a spoon, press mixture firmly into bottom and up sides of pan to form a pie shell. Bake until set, about 5 minutes; place in freezer for 10 minutes to cool.

Meanwhile, in a clean food processor or electric mixer, combine ice cream, remaining limeade concentrate, tequila and liqueur; process or mix until just blended. Spoon ice cream mixture into cooled pie shell and sprinkle with lime zest. Freeze for 2 hours before cutting into 8 pieces.

Chocolate-Pecan-Bourbon Pie

From "Perfect Pies: The Best Sweet and Savory Recipes from America’s Pie-Baking Champion"

Crust
1 recipe for pie crust for a 9-inch pie or a prepared pie crust
1/4 cup heavy cream (to glaze the crimped pie edges)

Filling
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
1 1/4 cups dark corn syrup
1/2 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon bourbon
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and warm
1 1/2 cups chopped pecans
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

To prepare the pie shell: On a clean, lightly floured work surface, roll out half a ball of dough with a rolling pin until it forms a 10-inch circle. Wrap the remaining half of dough tightly in plastic wrap and reserve it in the refrigerator for future use for up to five days. Fold the circle in half, place it in a 9-inch pie plate so that the edges of the circle drop over the rim, and unfold the dough to completely cover the pie plate. Using your thumb and index finger, crimp the edges of the pie shell. Brush the edges of the shell with heavy cream to create a golden brown finish. Set the pie shell to the side while you make the filling.

To prepare the filling, using an electric mixer on medium speed, mix together the eggs, sugar, corn syrup, vanilla and bourbon. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl at least two times while mixing. Add the warm melted butter and mix well. In a separate bowl, combine the pecans and chocolate chips. Sprinkle the pecan-chocolate chip mixture across the bottom of the pie shell. Pour the filling over the nuts and chips, covering them completely.

To bake, place the pie plate on a baking sheet and bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the pie is firm. The edges of the filling will rise, but the middle will remain a little loose. Don’t worry about this — the pie will continue to bake after it’s removed from the oven. Transfer the pie plate to a wire cooling rack and allow the pie to cool and set for two to three hours before serving.