06 Mar Pecan pie recipe
Happy International Pi Day, (Pi Day is an annual celebration of the mathematical constant π.) Pi Day is observed on March 14 since 3, 1, and 4 are the first three significant digits of π. We are choosing to celebrate this helpful (we presume) mathematical concept with a Pecan Pie recipe, the perfect dessert for Autumn. We will take a slice warm from the oven under a pile of ice cream please. Yum!
Serves: 8
Ingredients:
For the pastry
- 280 g (10 oz) plain (all-purpose) flour, sifted
- 50 g (1 3/4 oz) caster (superfine) sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
- 170 g (6 oz) unsalted butter
- 2 eggs, hard-boiled
- 1 egg
For the filling
- 65 g (2 1/4 oz) unsalted butter, softened
- 100 g (3 1/2 oz) caster (superfine) sugar
- 100 g (3 1/2 oz) golden caster or white caster (superfine) sugar
- 4 eggs
- 1 1/2 tablespoons rum
- 1 1/2 tablespoons vanilla extract
- 120 ml (4 fl oz) maple syrup
- 5 heaped handfuls pecans, unsalted
Method
Preheat the oven to 175°C (350°F).
For the pastry, sift the dry ingredients together into a large bowl. Remove the yolks from the hard-boiled eggs and discard the whites. Push the yolks through a fine sieve with a spoon to create a sandy-coloured powder. Add to the dry ingredients, then add the egg and whisk everything together. Don’t over-mix. If you use a kitchen mixer, the hook attachment works the best for this.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pastry to fit a fluted, 23 cm (9-inch) round tart tin, preferably with a removable bottom. Press the pastry into the tin to about 1 cm (1/2 inch) thick, then press it up into the sides of the tin with your fingers. Refrigerate for a few hours, or overnight.
For the filling, place the butter in a metal mixing bowl, let it soften, then whip by hand until smooth. Add both the sugars, whip again by hand, then add the eggs, rum, vanilla extract and maple syrup. Mix well, but not so that it gets foamy. Then add the pecans and mix well. Take the pastry out of the refrigerator, pour in the filling, and bake for 45 minutes.
This recipe features in Love Your Lunch by Sean Wainer and is published by Murdoch Books, $35.00, available now in all good bookstores and online. Photography by Salka Hamar Penning.
