The Pecan Pie-off (Goode vs...uhh...Carlo)

So, though I have never licked my chops in anticipation of Pecan Pie of any sort, I have had an abundance of chances to try a few in a very short time. Previously I tried a Chocolate Pecan from Carlo's Bakery in Hoboken, NJ (rated at 4 shots). The actual tasting occurred during T-Day. Since then I have tried 2 more "plain" Pecan Pies. 1 from Goode Co in Houston, TX and 1 from Carlo's Bakery. Let's review in reverse chronological order...because that's how memory works (laugh now, figure it out when you get home).

Up first...or last is Goode Co. from Houston. How the hell did I get to Houston since my last post you ask? Well, I tell you, men of my stature have Houston come to them. Damn RIGHT!...Or you could have a strange train of family and friends send one back as carry-on luggage on a plane to be enjoyed by other family and friends on New Years Eve. Clearly, I do not have any stature to speak of. Anyway, unboxed the pie looks tasty as any other. Pecan pies do always have great texture and some sort of drama transpiring on the upper crust, but I digress. I cut myself a small slice and dug in. And I do mean dug.

The pie was not holding together well (whether by design or due to a hard travels and turbulence I do not profess to know...I can only give you the my tasting details. I will say that I highly doubt any pie maker would plan/expect that type of journey). The pecans were properly "glued" together, but the bottom layer (filling?) was similar to refrigerated strawberry preserves (this is in my fridge...hence the analogy). Relatively thick, goopy and sticky but when tested would not hold up. And by tested I mean moved from main pie to plate, plate to fork and fork to mouth. Don't get me wrong, there ain't nothin' wrong with thick, goopy and sticky (pause) for some. The color of the filling reminds me of the last few chunks of a pancake breakfast that were stewing in syrup for the entirety of the meal and thus, too sweet for me. The pecans were nicely done. Still crunchy and solid and not overly candied. The crust had a pretty heavy aftertaste of flour.

Goode Co., Downtown Houston, TX.

One caveat for Goode Co., the pie did travel over 1,500 miles at a max elevation of 36,280 feet. I give them an extra half a shot and will try them out if I ever make it to Houston. If I do, I'll re-evaluate. For now...2 1/2 shots.

Up second...or...first, Carlo's of Hoboken, NJ. Once again through my "Soprano's connection" it was delivered in time for Christmas. This pie had the benefit of only being shipped about 8 miles, no altitude sickness to be found. The pie held together like a brick shit-house. The color was darker overall...maybe brown sugar or molasses? I've never made a Pecan Pie, so I can only guess. The top layer of pecans was solid and crunchy. The filling was once again too sweet for me. However, not nearly as sweet as the Texan. A darker sweetness and less pronounced. Kind of like the caramelized sugar on the bottom of a well made flan. There was a clear separation of church and state as the filling had the consistency of properly thawed ice cream. The crust just sort of disappeared into the flavoring of the pie, which to me is a good thing. With Pecan pie, if you add more flavor, I think it would be too much. Overall, a touch too sweet for me, but clearly a high quality offering.

Carlo's Bakery - Hoboken, NJ

Winner - Evil, I mean Carlo's. In my opinion a better made and tasting pie (of course as previously mentioned, I do not like overly sweet...) However, neither of these came even CLOSE to the Chocolate Pecan Pie I reviewed previously.

Chocolate Pecan Pie - Carlo's Bakery (Cake Boss)

Recently had the chance and luck? (find out below) to try a pie from the now famous Carlo's Bakery of Hoboken, NJ aka TLC's Cake Boss. If you haven't heard of it, you need to invest in some modern amenities like television and the internet. As it stands, the place has definitely been making it's mark on the mind of the general public via TV and as such the line outside of it during all open hours can be ridiculous. Apparently 2 hours is not unheard of. Let me state for the record, I do not have a sweet tooth and thus would NEVER wait on said line by choice. I do however enjoy food (which includes dessert). Luckily a family member had an "in", in true Soprano's fashion...ok, not really. Their office has some type of corporate connection and they just put in an order and it was delivered as some sort of holiday promotion...HAPPY THANKSGIVING and MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

What pie was I able to get onto my discerning palate? Chocolate Pecan Pie. Now for me, I've never found a Pecan Pie I rolled my eyes in orgasmic tasting pleasure for. Apparently there are MANY ways to make Pecan Pie (31 Recipes on www.baking.com (landolakes) and 187 hits on www.foodnetwork.com). I also think I was told once that in the South there are two things that are never made the same in any house; Fried Chicken and Pecan Pie. Anyway, historically, every Pecan Pie I've tried is too sweet. Every single one. Some moreso than others. I am talking "God, that's sweet!" all the way up to "I believe I need to invest in dentures" levels of sweet in that weird mush below the crusty pecans. I've found that the mush overwhelms the general nuttiness and base flavors that I would enjoy. There are definitely some that look for the next gap tooth creating dessert. I am not among them. So with a general lack of interest I cut myself a small slice and dropped it on my plate. Uncaring of the mix of cranberry sauce, gravy, pancit (Filipino noodles), roasted suckling pig and gravy left on my plate...what?...it was Thanksgiving people!...So I dug my fork into a small sliver of what I expected to be too sweet and to generally be unimpressed with (especially since I drink Hater-ade with a capital "H" and therefore subconsciously was building up my general dislike of Carlo's/Cake Boss products as the fork moved closer to my mouth).

Initial thoughts? "Holy SHIT that's good!". Follow up thoughts? "I'm getting a second piece!". Third thoughts? Time to spend some time with this newfound joy of Chocolate Pecan Pie. If you actually read the lead up you know my history, however brief, with Pecan Pie. This was a completely different story. Visually the chocolate changes the average Pecan Pie. At first glance it looks like the base ingredients are lightly singed (except the crust, which is not chocolate-ed...still the basic light butter crust). It is clearly not burned. It is that fine chocolate many of us love. The flavor that arrives and rules is Cocoa. To me there is a difference between chocolate and cocoa. Chocolate to me has a very smooth richness of flavor I associate with Hershey's Milk Chocolate with Almond, Cadbury's Fruit and Nut, Hershey's Symphony or Europe (childhood associations maybe). Cocoa is a deeper and rougher taste that is seemingly unrefined but more original...or something. When making hot chocolate with Cocoa if you add too much it gets bitter due to the heavy notes. Too little and it just tastes like lightly flavored milk (if you don't make Hot Chocolate with milk, we can't be friends). The right amount makes all the difference. Carlo has got it just right. I mean it. Spot on. The cocoa seems to eat up all that extra sweetness that I dislike. And it does so thoroughly. The pie is in no way bitter. The layer of pecans on the top isn't too crusty or sticky. I've definitely had Pecan Pies that stuck to my teeth like chewed hard candy...not a good look. The layer beneath, where most of the chocolate is concentrated (though the flavor does evenly permeate the pie) isn't too heavy or too sloppy. In fact, it is lighter than I have generally experienced and none too sweet, as per my liking. All-in-all a high quality pie excellently pulled together by Chocolate (or in my opinion Cocoa). Would I try it again? In a heartbeat. Would I wait hours in line for it...for this...maybe I'd find a slow day and wait less than an hour (there's a rumor going around that locals don't have to wait on line...let me know if you have the balls to try that one...so that I can ask you to get me some pies of course). Will I try other pies or desserts from Carlo's? If the others are equal to or surpass the Chocolate Pecan Pie, I sincerely hope so. Because that was some damn good pie. Not quite the O-face, but damn good.

http://www.carlosbakery.com/