Ingredients
Pastry
- 250 gplain flour
- 150 gcold butter, cubed
- 1 tbspsugar
- ½ tspsalt
- 3 tbspiced water
Filling
- 250 mllight corn syrup
- 150 gdark brown sugar
- 3eggs
- 60 gbutter, melted
- 2 tspvanilla
- 1 tbspbourbon, optional
- ½ tspsalt
Nuts
- 300 gpecan halves
To serve
- whipped cream
- or vanilla ice cream
Directions
- Make the pastry: rub or pulse the cold butter into the flour, sugar and salt until it looks like coarse breadcrumbs with some larger flakes left. Leave some butter in visible flakes rather than rubbing it all in, because those flakes are what make the pastry flaky. Bind with iced water, using as little as possible, and stop the moment it comes together.
- Chill the pastry at least an hour, then roll it out and line a 23 cm pie dish. Chill the lined dish again for 30 minutes before baking. The second chill is what stops the sides slumping down the dish in the oven.
- Whisk the corn syrup, brown sugar, melted butter, vanilla, bourbon and salt together. Whisk the eggs in gently and do not aerate the filling. Chop about half the pecans roughly and leave the rest as halves. Scatter the chopped pecans over the base of the blind-baked shell.
- Pour the filling over them, then arrange the pecan halves on top in circles. Bake at 160°C (320°F) for 45 to 55 minutes. Bake it low and slow. A hot oven sets the edges into a rubbery band while the middle is still liquid.
- Cover the crust with foil if it browns too fast. Now the judgement: it is done when the edges are set and the centre still wobbles as a single mass when you nudge the dish.
- Take it out while the middle still wobbles slightly. It sets as it cools, and a pie baked until firm in the oven ends up dry and grainy. Cool it completely, at least 3 hours, before cutting. It genuinely needs to cool right down to set. Cut warm, it runs across the plate.
- Serve at room temperature with whipped cream or ice cream. It keeps three days covered at room temperature and is often better on the second day.
Technique
- Golden syrup or maple syrup can replace corn syrup and change the flavour noticeably.
- A pinch of instant coffee or a splash of bourbon cuts the sweetness.
- It is a Thanksgiving fixture across the American South.
Substitutions
- Golden syrup in place of light corn syrup.
- Ready-made shortcrust pastry, blind baked.
Variations
- Chocolate pecan pie, with dark chocolate in the filling.
- Bourbon pecan pie, with a good measure of whiskey.
- Made in individual tartlets.
History
Pecans are native to North America; corn-syrup recipes printed by Karo from the 1930s spread the pie across Texas and the South.
Frequently asked questions
What is Pecan pie?
Pecan pie is a dessert from United States: sweet corn-syrup custard pie packed with toasted pecans. Pecans are native to North America; corn-syrup recipes printed by Karo from the 1930s spread the pie across Texas and the South.
How long does Pecan pie take to make?
Pecan pie takes 30 min plus 2 hr chilling of preparation and 1 hr of cooking. The recipe makes 10 servings. It is rated medium to make.
What can I substitute in Pecan pie?
Yes, within limits. Golden syrup in place of light corn syrup. Ready-made shortcrust pastry, blind baked.
What is the most important thing to get right in Pecan pie?
Make the pastry: rub or pulse the cold butter into the flour, sugar and salt until it looks like coarse breadcrumbs with some larger flakes left. Leave some butter in visible flakes rather than rubbing it all in, because those flakes are what make the pastry flaky. Bind with iced water, using as little as possible, and stop the moment it comes together.
