It’s hard to escape a celebration or dinner party in our household without making a Crack Pie – it is Mr Man’s absolute favourite dessert and what he has requested (and is getting) for Thanksgiving.
Despite this I still had the urge to do something traditional, I loved the Bourbon Pumpkin Pie I made last year and thought I might play around with some more Bourbon – using it in a pecan/maple combination.
This pie is not as sweet and gooey as your typical pecan pie – it has a maple flavoured custard base that tones it down somewhat. Having said that, it will still be a highlight in our Thanksgiving dessert buffet – along side Mr Man’s beloved Crack Pie.
Ingredients
4 large eggs
150 grams/5.3 ounces brown sugar
250 mls maple syrup
30 grams/1 ounce plain flour
50 mls Bourbon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
120 grams/4.2 ounces pecans, coarsely chopped, plus some for decoration if you wish
egg wash for brushing (1 egg whisked with 2 tablespoons of milk)
Brown Sugar Pastry
150 gm (1 cup) plain flour
50 gm brown sugar
90 gm cold butter, coarsely chopped
1 egg yolk
Pastry
Process flour, sugar and 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt in a food processor until combined, add butter and process until fine crumbs form. Add the egg yolk and mix until mixture just comes together, turn onto a lightly floured surface and form into a disc. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate to for 2 hours.
Preheat oven to 180c/360f. Roll out pastry on a floured sheet of parchment paper to 3mm thick. Use the parchment to help you turn the dough into a 9 inch tart tin – trim the edges, prick the base with a fork and chill for a further 30 minutes.
Blind-bake pastry until light golden (10-12 minutes), remove paper and weights, brush with eggwash and bake until crisp and golden – a further 6 minutes.
Filling
Reduce your oven to 160c/320f. Whisk eggs and sugar in a bowl to combine, then whisk in maple syrup, flour, Bourbon, vanilla and a pinch of salt. Stir in chopped pecans then pour into pastry case. Arrange whole pecans on top (if you wish) and bake until almost set, then cool to room temperature (it will set further while cooling).
Serve with whipped cream with a tipple of Bourbon or maple syrup for extra flavour.
© 2011, Michelle. All rights reserved.
