Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Tart from the Inn at Little Washington

Name: Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Tart
Yield: 8 servings
Cuisine: Southern
Ingredients: 1 cup pecans; 1½ cups sugar; ⅓ cup water; 1 cup heavy cream; ¼ cup bourbon; ¼ cup (4 tbsp.) butter, melted; 1 whole egg; 1 egg yolk; 1 prebaked tart or pie shell (9 or 10 inches in diameter); 4 oz. bittersweet chocolate, melted; Whipped cream

The lauded Virginia retreat shares its recipe for a holiday-worthy tart that’s a gift to both bourbon and chocolate lovers

By Steve Russell
Recipe by Patrick O’Connell

December 17, 2025

Photo: courtesy of the Inn at Little Washington

When the Inn at Little Washington, chef Patrick O’Connell’s celebrated restaurant and hotel in Washington, Virginia, invites the local community over for an annual Christmas open house, a chocolate pecan tart always graces the sumptuous buffet table. The dessert is a big hit, and why not? The tart gets an extra dose of holiday cheer from the incorporation of a quarter-cup of bourbon into the rich, chewy filling. “Part of its appeal may be that it keeps well and does not require refrigeration,” O’Connell says. “Our unorthodox version introduces a splash of bourbon and a brushing of bittersweet chocolate on the crust, satisfying the bourbon aficionados and chocolate lovers among us.”

Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Tart

Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients

- 1 cup pecans
- 1½ cups sugar
- ⅓ cup water
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ¼ cup bourbon
- ¼ cup (4 tbsp.) butter, melted
- 1 whole egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 prebaked tart or pie shell (9 or 10 inches in diameter)
- 4 oz. bittersweet chocolate, melted
- Whipped cream

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Place the pecans on a baking sheet and toast in oven for 5 to 7 minutes, until lightly browned. Remove and set aside. Increase oven temperature to 400ºF.
In a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan, bring the sugar and water to a boil over medium heat. Cook 8 to 12 minutes or until amber in color. Remove pan from heat, and slowly and carefully pour the cream into the caramelized sugar. (Use caution: When the cream hits the hot sugar, it will steam and splatter; avert your face and protect your hands.) Cook the caramel cream mixture over low heat for 3 minutes, stirring to dissolve any lumps. Remove the mixture from the heat and allow to cool for 15 minutes.
Whisk the bourbon, butter, whole egg, and yolk into the cooled caramel mixture. Stir in the toasted pecans.
Brush the tart or pie shell with the melted chocolate and pour the filling into the shell. Bake at the center of the oven for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350ºF and continue baking for an additional 15 minutes. Serve the tart at room temperature topped with a dollop of whipped cream.

Steve Russell is a Garden & Gun contributing editor who also has written for Men’s Journal, Life, Rolling Stone, and Playboy. Born in Mississippi and raised in Tennessee, he resided in New Orleans and New York City before settling down in Charlottesville, Virginia, because it’s far enough south that biscuits are an expected component of a good breakfast.