Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Monkey Bread

La Cocina week eight. The final class. Hosting — putting it together for a meal. The students brought guests. Each student was allowed two. The class became fifty-eight people in the Parkville Community Center kitchen, plus me, plus Brian, plus the photographer Brian had hired without asking me but to whom I gave permission once I saw she was a quiet seventy-year-old woman from Bushnell Park named Margaret who reminded me of a hospital cafeteria worker I had liked in 1992.

The students cooked. Each student or pair was responsible for one dish from the eight weeks. They had drawn lots. Diana had drawn pernil — six pounds, slow-roasted, she had practiced twice at home. Mr. Patterson had drawn arroz con gandules. He had also practiced. Other students had pollo guisado, mofongo, tostones, sofrito-as-a-condiment-for-the-table, ensalada de coditos, flan, sopita, tembleque. The full menu of the eight weeks plus a couple of extras.

I did not cook. I sat. I corrected. I tasted. I encouraged. I sent Diana back to the pernil twice — "more time, the skin is not crackling yet, you are pulling it early." She trusted me. The pernil at the end was correct. The skin cracked when I tapped it.

At 7 PM we ate. Family-style. The fifty-eight people sat at four long tables. The food was on platters in the center. Mr. Patterson made a small speech I had not asked him to make. He stood up with a plate in his hand and he said, "Mrs. Carmen taught us that food is family. We are now her family. We are also each other's family. We will eat together again." He sat down. The table cheered. I cried.

At 9 PM the room emptied. Brian and I cleaned. Margaret the photographer left a small print on my counter on the way out — a black and white shot of me at the stool with my hand mid-gesture, the class blurred behind me, the focus on my hands. She said, "Mrs. Delgado-Ortiz. From me to you. Thank you." I framed it Saturday. It is in the kitchen now. Wepa.

Mami was tired Wednesday. She slept through the class. She woke at 10 PM. I called her on the way home. She said, "Carmen, did the students eat well?" I said, "Mami, yes." She said, "Good. Tell them I said good." I said, "Mami, I will." The first cohort of La Cocina de Consuelo was complete.

After the room emptied and Brian and I finished cleaning and I held Margaret’s photograph in both hands, I knew I wanted to bring something to Mami the next morning — something she could pull apart slowly at the kitchen table, something that did not require explanation. Monkey bread has always been our word for abundance: many small things pressed together into one generous thing, which is exactly what that final class was. I added bourbon for the occasion, and pecans because Mami says pecans are the nut of people who are serious about dessert, and chocolate because the night deserved it.

Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 40 min | Total Time: 1 hr | Servings: 12

Ingredients

3 cans (16 oz each) refrigerated biscuit dough
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
3 tablespoons bourbon
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup chopped pecans, divided
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, divided
Pinch of kosher salt

Instructions

Preheat and prep. Heat oven to 350°F. Generously grease a 12-cup bundt pan with butter or nonstick spray, making sure to coat all the ridges.
Make the coating. In a large zip-top bag, combine granulated sugar, cocoa powder, and cinnamon. Seal and shake to mix well.
Cut and coat the biscuits. Open the biscuit cans and cut each biscuit into quarters. Working in batches, drop the pieces into the sugar bag, seal, and shake until every piece is thoroughly coated.
Layer the pan. Scatter half the pecans and half the chocolate chips across the bottom of the bundt pan. Arrange half the coated biscuit pieces in an even layer on top. Add the remaining pecans and chocolate chips, then top with the rest of the biscuit pieces.
Make the bourbon caramel. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Stir in the brown sugar, bourbon, vanilla, and salt. Cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is smooth and slightly thickened. Do not let it boil hard.
Pour and coat. Slowly pour the warm bourbon caramel evenly over all the biscuit pieces in the pan, letting it seep down between the layers.
Bake. Bake uncovered for 35 to 40 minutes, until the top is deep golden brown and the center is cooked through. A toothpick inserted into the thickest part should come out without raw dough.
Rest and invert. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for exactly 10 minutes — no longer, or the caramel will harden and stick. Place a large serving plate over the pan and invert in one confident motion. Lift the pan away slowly to let the caramel drip down over the bread.
Serve warm. Pull apart at the table while still warm. The bread is best within 2 hours of baking.

Nutrition (per serving)

Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Monkey Bread — What We Pull Apart Together, We Share