1PD: The cinnamon pecan pie at the Ranch at Las Colinas is One Perfect Dish

Every once in a while, we all come across One Perfect Dish.

Maybe it’s as simple as the peach chimichurri that Jonathan Rivera served when he was chef at the Dallas Four Seasons Resort’s now-closed Cafe on the Green (he’s now at Knife). Or maybe it’s the mussels and chorizo that once graced chef Garreth Dickey’s menu at the original location of Dish restaurant. I recently discovered another 1PD in Stefano Secchi‘s egg ravioli with parmigiana and truffles, a pasta he learned to make from scratch while working the line at Osteria Franciscana, the best restaurant in the world right now according to the 2016 S. Pellegrino list. (Secchi’s family owns Ferrari’s in Grapevine and Addison.) 

And I’ve found another to add to the list. This one, a pecan pie unlike any you’ve tasted, takes two southern classics and turns them both on their ends. At the Ranch at Las Colinas, pastry queen Sarah Lewis combines the custardy elegance of pecan pie with the buttery deliciousness of a fresh cinnamon roll. I’m not usually a fan of pecan pie — their cloying sweetness is like force-feeding of Karo syrup — but Lewis seems to have conjured the right magic: creamy custard, toasted pecans, an unexpected hit of cinnamon.

I’ve long been a fan of the Ranch at Las Colinas, which is also fond of EscapeHatch (that’s them in the column on the right side of this post). Regardless, if you’re into pecan pie, I think you’ll agree that this is 1PD.

The State Fair of Texas should pop this on a stick and hand it a blue ribbon.