Pecan Pie
I absolutely love Pecan Pie, the only issue I encountered in Switzerland was finding the right corn syrup which is what makes the Pecan Pie thicker and helps really glue everything together. After numerous attempts I gave up trying to look for the right corn syrup and instead created a recipe with maple syrup at the base. Turns out that maple syrup and cornstarch (or flour) mixed together create the same consistency as corn syrup and is actually much tastier in my opinion.
Pecan Pie is one of the most famous dishes of Southern U.S origin and is served on many occasions including Thanksgiving. We love to have it with Vanilla Ice Cream or Whipped Cream. Bring a taste of the U.S to your house with this maple syrup based Pecan Pie and delight your guests and family.
The preparation might look long and laborious but it’s actually very easy (excluding the rest time and cook time you will be getting your hands dirty for only around 30 minutes) - and it’s definitely worth it!
Prep Time: 30 Minutes
Cook Time: 55 Minutes
Rest Time: 2 Hours
Ingredients for Pie Crust (Alternatively you can use store bought pie crust)
Butter (cold straight from the fridge) - 100 g
Ice cold water - 50 g
All-purpose Flour - 200 g
Salt - a pinch
Sugar - 30 gr
Ingredients for Pie (22 cm):
Pecan Halves - around 300 g
Maple Syrup - 340 g
Brown Sugar - 100 g
Eggs - 4 large
Cornstarch - 2 teaspoons
Bourbon - 2 Tbs
Vanilla Extract - 1 teaspoon
Ground Cinnamon - 1/2 teaspoon
Unsalted Butter - 60 g
Salt - a pinch
Serve with Vanilla Ice Cream
Preparation for pie crust:
We start preparing the pie crust by mixing together the flour, salt, until they are homogeneously mixed. If you have a food processor you can definitely use it for this part, if not a good old mixer will do.
Start slowly adding chunks of cold butter and keep mixing. The mixture will be a bit chunky and this is normal, keep mixing and keep adding the butter until you have added it all.
At this point you can start adding some ice cold water - add one table spoon at a time and keep mixing until you feel like the mixture is coming together (this should be achieved after around 4/5 table spoons. The dough should hold together, if not, add more water (try not to go over 7 tablespoons).
Work the dough a little with your hands on a clean surface and see if it breaks easily or not - if it does maybe a little more water needs to be added. Do not knead it as you would usually do with other doughs as it might become too tough.
Make a little oval shape with the dough - it’s normal if you see pieces of butter still intact in the dough, these will later melt. Wrap the dough in wrap and place it in the fridge for an hour (you can leave it for up to 48 hours).
Preparation for the pie:
Start the preparation by pre-heating the oven to 200°C.
Roll out the dough on a floured surface with a rolling pin. Roll it a little more than your 22 cm baking tray so that it fits fully.
Put the dough in the baking tray, poke it with a fork on the bottom and put it in the fridge to chill for 30 minutes.
After the dough has chilled cover it with parchment paper and add some weight (pie weights or beans work well) as we are going to simply bake the crust first without the filling and don’t want it to rise. Bake for 15 minutes then take out of the oven and remove the parchment paper and weights and put the crust aside.
Bring the oven to 180°C
Whisk together three eggs the maple syrup, the brown sugar, bourbon, cornstarch, vanilla, sea salt and ground cinnamon in a large bowl until the paste is homogeneous. Add in the melted butter and mix well until everything is combined.
In another bowl whisk the remaining egg. Brush the egg over the pie crust, this will give the pie a nice golden touch.
Now is the time to arrange the pecans in the pie crust, make sure you cover it well. After you are done you can pour the maple sauce we made earlier over the top evenly.
Cover the pie with aluminium foil and bake the pie for 20 minutes - after the 20 minutes are done remove the aluminium foil and bake for another 25/30 minutes - the top should be browned.
Once the pie is done let it rest outside for at least one hour - the pie should be at room temperature when you serve it (this is not a pie you eat warm!).
Serve either alone, with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.
The Pecan Pie can be stored outside (covered) for 1/2 days or refrigerated for 2/3 days.