If you have a sweet tooth, have been behaving yourself and are now officially ready for a treat, it鈥檚 hard to go wrong with a good pecan pie.
Just be sure folks are around to share it.
In a 1940s-era cookbook, Cross Creek Cookery, author Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings accurately describes true southern pecan pie as one of the richest, most deadly desserts.
More on that in a moment. But when Rawlings says southern, she鈥檚 talking about the American South, the place this pie became popularized.
Food historians suggest that occurred in the 20th Century and that the pie was an offshoot of the nut confections and sugar pies already enjoyed at that time. And using pecans in a pie then certainly made sense, as people could gather them from the wild.
From a nutrition point of view, pecans definitely are something you would want to crack and eat. They contain fibre, protein and a variety of minerals and vitamins, including E, A and B. Pecans are also extremely rich in monounsaturated or polyunsaturated fat, both of which, unlike saturated fat, are deemed heart-healthy.
That good-for-you fat content explains why pecans have such a sweet, rich and almost buttery flavour and delectable texture. Those qualities allow pecans to be suitable for use in both savoury dishes, such as salads and stuffings, and sweet creations that, of course, include pecan pie.
It is a good thing that pecans are so nutritious, because the first step in making a good pecan pie is to spoon the filling into a rich and flaky piecrust, which my recipe below certainly qualifies as.
As for that filling, the exact balance of what goes into it can vary from recipe to recipe. Most contain chopped or broken pecans, eggs, butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar or corn syrup, such as Karo brand, which appears in听many older recipes that I鈥檝e read.
With the mix of ingredients, you can understand why some think pecan pie may be a derivation of sugar pie, which is still popular in places such as Quebec. And adding rich pecans to that style of pie would certainly make it even more rich and deadly.
In my version of pecan pie, I听used brown sugar, not corn syrup, and for a southern-style flavour, mixed in a few splashes of bourbon. It is yummy, y鈥檃ll!
听
Plentiful Pecan Pie with Bourbon
You can make the pie up to a day before serving. Cover with a large bowl, or tent with plastic wrap, and keep in a cool, room temperature place until ready to听serve.
听
Preparation: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 55 minutes
Makes: One pie
听
1/2 cup butter
1 3/4 cups pecan halves, divided (see听Note 1)
1 cup packed golden brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 Tbsp all-purpose flour
3 Tbsp bourbon (see Note 2)
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
鈥� pinch salt
鈥� whipped cream, to taste (optional)
1 chilled, 10-inch deep-dish piecrust
Place the butter in a small pot, set over low heat and melt. Remove from the heat and set aside.
Preheat the oven to 325 F. Place 1 cup of the pecans on a cutting board, coarsely chop and the set aside.
Place the sugars, eggs, flour, bourbon, vanilla and salt in a large bowl and mix until well combined and creamy and caramel looking. Mix in the melted butter and chopped pecans.
Pour this mixture into the piecrust. Arrange the remaining 3/4 cup of whole pecan halves in a circular pattern on top the pie filing.
Bake the pie in the centre of the oven for 55 minutes, until the filling is set but still jiggles slightly in the centre. Cool the pie on a baking rack to room temperature.
To make the pie easier to slice, refrigerate it a few minutes before using a sharp serrated knife to cut the pie into wedges. Top those wedges, if desired, with a dollop of whipped cream before serving.
听
Note 1: The 1 3/4 cups of pecan halves required for this recipe will weigh about 225 grams.
听
Note 2: If you don鈥檛 wish to use alcohol, replace the bourbon with an equal amount of unsweetened apple juice or a dairy product, such as milk.
听
Flaky Pie Dough
This is my go-to recipe for rich pie dough and I have published it a few times over the years. This version allows you to use lard, instead of shortening, if you prefer. It makes dough for two single-crust pies. You鈥檒l only need one for听the pecan pie, but you can freeze the second dough for another time.
听
Preparation: 20 minutes, plus chilling time
Cooking time: none
Makes: dough for two single-crust pies
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/4 cups cold vegetable shortening or pure lard, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/4 cup cold butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 large egg, beaten with 1/3 cup ice-cold water
Combine the flour and salt in a bowl. With a pastry cutter, two forks, or with the paddle attachment of your stand mixer, cut the shortening (or lard) and butter into the flour until well blended.
Pour the egg/water mixture into听the bowl; gently work it until it forms a loose, moist dough that just holds together. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface.
With lightly floured hands, shape the dough into a ball. Cut the ball in half. Press each half into a 1/2-inch-thick disc. Wrap and refrigerate one disc for 20 minutes before rolling out; tightly wrap and freeze the other dough for another time.
To make a crust, unwrap the refrigerated dough and place on a lightly floured work surface. Flour a rolling pin and roll the dough from the centre out into a round large enough to fit a 10-inch wide pie plate with a four-cup capacity.
When the round of dough is ready, carefully fold in half and lay it across the centre of the pie plate. Carefully unfold it and gently nestle it into the bottom of the plate. Don't worry if the crust breaks in places; simply press it back together.
Fold under the over-hanging edges of dough. Crimp the top edges of the crust to create a finished look. Refrigerate and firm up the piecrust for 20 minutes and it's ready to be filled and baked.
Eric Akis is the author of The Great Rotisserie Chicken Cookbook (Appetite by Random House). It will be released March 31. His columns appear in the Life section Wednesday and Sunday.
