Dough Ingredients

1 lb. room-temperature butter

1 cup powdered sugar

12 egg yolks

½ Tbsp vanilla bean paste

1 ½ tsp salt

6 1/3 cups all purpose flour

Zest of one orange

Cream together the butter and sugar with a paddle attachment until it is light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the yolks and vanilla bean paste.  Scrape the bowl and mix until combined. Add the flour until a soft dough forms. Flatten into disks and chill for one hour. With flour, roll out the tart dough and form into the shells.  Chill for 30 more minutes.  Make the filling.

Bourbon Filling Ingredients

1 ½ cup sugar

1 ½ cup corn syrup

2/3 cup melted Butter

6 eggs

2 ounces bourbon

Zest of one orange

2 tsp vanilla bean paste

½ tsp salt

Whisk all the ingredients together. Mix together with 4 cups of chopped pecans and pour into the chilled tart shells.  Bake for 10 minutes and rotate.  Bake an additional 10 minutes.  Allow to cool completely before removing from the tart shells.

Bourbon Caramel Sauce Ingredients

4 ½ cups sugar

½ Tbsp cream of tartar

1 ½ cup bourbon

3 ½ cups heavy cream

½ cup bourbon

1 Tbsp Maldon salt (a type of flake salt)

½ pound of butter

In a large pot combine sugar, cream of tartar, salt and 1½ cups bourbon. Cook to a medium amber color.  Take off the heat and slowly whisk in the cream and the second bourbon. Finish with the butter. Strain and allow to cool completely.

Bourbon Ice Cream Ingredients

750 ml bourbon

6 cups heavy cream

4 cups milk

2 ½ cups sugar

30 egg Yolks

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 tsp kosher salt

Reduce the bourbon to 1½ cups. Add the milk and cream and bring to a scald. Whisk together egg yolks, sugar, salt and vanilla extract. Temper cream into egg yolks. Whisking constantly, cook to 82C. Remove from the heat and quickly strain through a chinois. Chill completely and spin.

Josh Armendariz is Houston Food Finder’s lead freelance beer and cocktail writer. He can often be found on a stool at your favorite bar, sipping a hoppy craft beer and talking about the Astros with anyone who’ll lend an ear. Follow him on Instagram at @drinkwithjosh.

Editor’s Note: Article updated 3/2/18, 10:04 a.m. to fix incorrect information we were provided regarding who created the State of Grace bourbon tart.