With Canadian Thanksgiving fast approaching, my Canadian host cooked for me my first ever Pecan Pie. The filling is similar to the butter tarts I have already posted, but that is by the by. This is without question the best recipe I have tasted on my travels thus far. A buttery flaky crust, sweet gooey insides and firm nutty pecans. Whether American or Canadian, is up for debate. But there’s no time for that, you need to make this pie now.
So below in all its unadulterated glory is the recipe for Brenda’s Pecan Pie.
Level: medium
Methods: pie crust, creaming
Skills: baking
Time: 1 1/2 hours
Makes: 8 hearty slices
Ingredients
For the pie crust:
150g plain flour
1/4tsp salt
30g lard or white vegetable fat
30g butter
4tbsp cold water
For the filling:
3 eggs, slightly beaten
300g golden syrup
130g dark soft brown sugar
75g butter, melted
1tsp vanilla extract
125g pecan halves
Method
1. Stir together flour and salt in a large mixing bowl.
2. Using a knife cut in the fat until the pieces are pea-size (do not rub in, we want a flaky north American pie crust.)
3. Sprinkle the water over the mix, one tablespoon at a time, gently tossing together with a fork. Repeat this until the dough can be brought together into one ball.
4. Chill in the fridge until needed.
5. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
6. For the filling, simply combine the eggs, syrup, sugar, butter, and vanilla in a bowl. An electric whisk can be used at this point.
7. Stir in the pecan halves.
8. On a lightly floured surface, use your hands to slightly flatten the pie crust dough.
Roll the dough from the center to the edge, into a circle about 12 inches in diameter.
9. Line a 9-inch pie plate with the pastry. Crimp or trim the edge as desired.
10. Place the pastry-lined pie plate onto the oven rack. Carefully pour the filling into the pastry shell. To prevent overbrowning, you can cover the edge of the pie with foil.
11. Bake for 25 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for a further 20 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.
12. Cool completely on a wire rack, the filling is like molten lava, so be careful.
Mastication / Destination 