Checking In On Our Cover Stars

Pie Oh My

Celebrity chef Kenny Gilbert, whose Raleigh restaurant Cut and Gather opens in Wakefield early next year, shares the recipe for his popular Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie. Yes, he’s made it for Oprah!

Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie

• 9-inch raw pie shell
• 1 cup bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 1/3 cup melted butter
• 1 ¼ cup brown sugar
• ½ cup Alaga cane syrup
• ½ cup molasses
• 2 Tbsp. bourbon
• ½ Tbsp. cinnamon
• ½ tsp. Chinese Five Spice 
• 4 eggs, beaten
• 3 Tbsp. all-purpose flour

1. Preheat oven to 350° 

2. Place pecan halves and chocolate chips in the raw pie shell.

3. Place butter and sugar in a pan and bring to a simmer. Cook until the mixture forms a caramel. Add molasses, cane syrup and spices. Mix well. Add bourbon and pull off the heat. Add the remaining ingredients using a whisk and mix well. Scoop the filling into the pie shell.

4. Bake for 50-60 minutes.

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High Horse now open

High Horse, the much anticipated restaurant from Top Chef alum Katsuji Tanabe, opened in City Market at 208 Wolfe St. last month. The name references the old horse stables in City Market and the restaurant serves dishes influenced by Mexican, Japanese and American cuisines cooked on two wood-fired grills that are visible to diners. Menu items include okra with bottarga, spare ribs with tamarind vinegar sauce, roasted bone marrow with sweet and sour crab, charred flat iron steak, Skuna Bay salmon, roasted oysters with country ham aioli and lime, North Carolina shrimp marinated in Togarashi (a blend of Japanese spices), churros and a famous cornbread made from a recipe from Tanabe’s grandmother (a portion of the cornbread sales will benefit the pay-what-you-can café A Place at the Table). High Horse’s drinks menu features rosé, green tea and whiskey lemon ice shots, a Cheerwine Old Fashioned and other creative cocktails. High Horse is open for dinner Tuesday through Sunday; expect a brunch service and outdoor dining next year. 

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Fenton Development

Phase one of Cary’s $850 million Fenton development—a 92-acre project located next to the Wake Med soccer park (the largest in Cary’s history) and future home to Atlanta-based chef Ford Fry’s Tex-Mex restaurant Superica—is underway. The first phase includes 350,000 square feet of retail, much of it already leased, as well as 170,000 square feet of office space. Announced tenants also include Scott Crawford’s upcoming steakhouse Crawford Brothers, Indigo Road Hospitality Group’s Colette (an Italian restaurant), Honeysuckle Gelato and Cru Wine Bar. Shops include Sephora, Bailey’s Fine Jewelry and Free People. A 125,000 square-foot Wegmans and a boutique movie theatre will anchor the project and 400 multifamily housing units will open in the first phase of the project as well.