Pecan Pie
The Southern Thanksgiving pie: pecans suspended in a glossy filling of corn syrup, eggs and dark brown sugar, baked into a soft custard.
Overview
Sweet shortcrust pastry is rolled into a 23 cm tin and blind-baked for 15 minutes (essential, an under-baked base goes soggy under the wet filling). Filling: dark brown sugar, light corn syrup (or golden syrup), eggs, melted butter, bourbon, vanilla and salt are whisked together. Pecan halves are arranged in concentric rings over the par-baked base; the filling is poured over. Baked for 40 minutes at 175°C until the filling has set with a slight wobble in the centre. Rested at least 2 hours before slicing (the filling firms as it cools).
Ingredients
Pastry
- 200 g plain flour
- 100 g cold unsalted butter (cubed)
- 50 g icing sugar
- 1 egg yolk (large)
- 2 tablespoons ice-cold water
- A pinch of salt
Filling
- 200 g dark brown sugar
- 250 ml light corn syrup (or golden syrup if corn syrup is unavailable)
- 80 g unsalted butter (melted)
- 4 eggs (large)
- 2 tablespoons bourbon (or rye whiskey)
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 300 g pecan halves (the whole halves, not chopped)
To serve
- Lightly whipped cream OR vanilla ice cream
Method
Stage 1 - Pastry
- Pulse the flour, butter, icing sugar and salt in a food processor until breadcrumb-textured.
- Add the egg yolk and water; pulse until just bringing together.
- Tip out; bring together as a disc; wrap; chill 1 hour.
Stage 2 - Blind-bake
- Heat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan).
- Roll the pastry to a 30 cm circle; line a 23 cm pie tin; trim, leaving 1 cm overhang.
- Prick the base with a fork; line with parchment and fill with baking beans.
- Bake 15 minutes; lift out beans and parchment; bake 5 more minutes till pale gold.
Stage 3 - Filling
- In a wide bowl, whisk the brown sugar, corn syrup, melted butter, eggs, bourbon, vanilla and salt until smooth.
- Don't aerate (gentle whisk; no electric mixer).
Stage 4 - Assemble
- Arrange the pecan halves in concentric circles over the par-baked base, decorative side up.
- Pour the filling slowly over the pecans (they'll bob up and float into a beautiful pattern).
Stage 5 - Bake
- Lower the oven to 175°C (155°C fan).
- Bake 40-45 minutes - the filling should be set around the edges with a slight wobble in the centre (a 5 cm wobble area is fine).
- If the crust browns too fast, cover the edges with foil strips.
Stage 6 - Cool and rest
- Cool fully at room temperature, at least 2 hours.
- The filling firms as it cools; slicing hot gives a runny mess.
Stage 7 - Serve
- Slice into wedges with a sharp knife.
- Serve with lightly whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.
Notes
- CORN SYRUP, not honey or maple alone: the structural integrity of pecan pie depends on corn syrup (or golden syrup). Honey is too floral and curdles; maple alone is too thin and doesn't set right. Use the real thing.
- Don't aerate the filling: whisking too vigorously creates bubbles that surface during baking and pock the top. Use a fork or a gentle hand whisk.
- Wobble in the middle: a slight wobble at 40 minutes means the filling will set perfectly as it cools. A fully-set wobble means it'll be hard and over-baked when cold.
- Bourbon optional but transformative: the boozy note balances the sugar. Use the cheaper of two bourbons; subtle quality differences disappear in baking.
Storage
- Keeps 3 days at room temperature, covered.
- Tastes better on day 2 as the filling sets fully.
- Freezes whole or sliced, 2 months; thaw at room temperature 2 hours.
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