Pecan Pie
One of my personal favorite pies. The deep, rich, nutty flavor of a pecan pie (and really, any pecan-based dessert like pecan bars or sticky buns) is so delicious. This is actually one of my first times preparing a pie, and while it was a bit messy and I made sme mistakes along the way, it turned out really, really delicious. The filling was inspired by a NYT article that I read (https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/12/dining/best-pumpkin-apple-pecan-pie-recipes-thanksgiving.html), and the pie crust was inspired by a separate recipe that I found (https://www.inspiredtaste.net/22662/flaky-pie-crust-recipe/).
Active Time: 1 hr
Total Time: 3 hr
Ingredients
Pie crust: (for two 9-inch pies)
> AP flour (2.5 cups)
> butter (2 sticks, cut into 1/2-inch cubes)
> salt (1 tsp)
> ice water
Pie filling:
> butter (1 stick)
> maple syrup (1/4 cup)
> honey (1/4 cup)
> brown sugar (1 cup)
> bourbon (1 tbsp)
> vanilla extract (1 tsp)
> salt (1/2 tsp)
> eggs (3)
Everything else:
> pecans (2.5 - 3 cups)
> whipped cream
Instructions
Pie crust:
1. In a food processor, add 1.5 cups of flour and salt. Pulse a couple times until combined.
2. Scatter butter cubes over flour and process until a dough or paste begins to form, about 15 seconds (there should be no uncoated flour)
3. Scrape down the bowl, add remaining 1 cup of flour, and pulse 4-5 times until flour is evenly distributed. (dough should look broken up and a little crumbly)
4. Transfer to a medium bowl, and add 4 tbsp of ice water. Using a rubber spatula, press the dough into itself. Add a bit more water as necessary, if the dough falls apart. If the dough holds together, it's ready.
5. Form the dough into a ball, cut it in half, and form each half into a disc, about 1 inch thick. Wrap with plastic wrap and refridgerate at least 1 hour before use.
Preparing the filling:
1. Make brown butter with 1 stick of butter over medium-high heat, stirring frequently to ensure the bottom doesn't burn.
2. Add maple syrup and continue to cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly.
3. Remove from the heat and whisk in honey. Let cool for ~10 minutes.
4. When cool, combine brown sugar, bourbon, vanilla, salt, and 3 large eggs. Stir thoroughly until well-combined.
Putting everything together:
1. On a well-floured surface + rolling pin, roll out the pie dough into roughly a 12-inch diameter (~1 inch wider than pie tin on each side). Start by bashing the dough, then once relatively thin roll out to 1/8 inch thick. If cracks form, simply push them together to close the crack or add excess dough from elsewhere.
2. Roll the dough onto your rolling pin and place it over the pie tin. Push into the corners. Remove any excess dough by cutting with a knife.
3. Fold the edge of dough underneath itself, so it creates a thicker border at the lip of the dish.
4. Crimp the edges by pushing one finger into two fingers to form a "v" shape.
5. Pierce the bottom of the crust with a fork.
5. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes before baking
6. Preheat the oven to 350F. Parbake the crust for about 10 minutes, with pie weights on top. Use an egg wash if desired.
7. Press the pecans as tightly as possible into the bottom of the crust. Then pour over the sugar goo and spread into an even layer. Continue to bake for about 45 minutes, or until the top is lightly browned.
8. Let cool to slightly above room temperature. Serve with whipped cream.
Notes/Tips:
> The pie crust is easiest to prepare with a food processor, but you could also use a pastry cutter as well. It'll just be a bit more work. The process is essentially the same.
> Make sure all of your ingredients are as COLD as possible when making the dough. And work the dough as little as possible. This will inhibit gluten development.
> Make sure to cool the sugar goo before adding the other ingredients. Otherwise, you'll end up with a bunch of scrambled eggs.
> Be generous with the pecans, and make sure to press them down tightly into the bottom of the pie tin. You'll want to make roughly a 1-inch layer with as many pecans as you can possibly fit, and the sugar goo filling in the crevices. Most pecan pies are too sweet, primarily because they have too much goo and not enough pecans. If you don't press them down, the pecans can "float" to the top and lead to a weird layering of goo at the bottom and pecans at the top.
> Realistically speaking, you could probably skip the par-baking for this, especially if you have a metal pie tin. The metal tie tin conducts heat a bit better and gives enough of a flaky texture without parbaking. I parbaked this for 15 minutes and found it ended up a bit drier than I would have liked.