World’s best pecan pie

If you’re looking to make a pecan pie,

this is the one you want.

world’s best pecan pie

Basic Pate Brisee (Shortcrust Pastry)

Pecan Pie Filling:

This is, in my opinion, the World’s Best Pecan Pie. Try it once, and I bet you’ll agree.

There’s no shortage of recipes for pecan pie on the web, and they’re all pretty much the same. There are a few variations to this southern classic. Some add maple, others add chocolate, and oftentimes vanilla. A few add spices like cinnamon, and one even adds cornstarch as a thickener. But they’re fundamentally eggs, corn syrup, sugar, butter, salt, and pecans, mixed together, poured into a pie crust, and baked.

Forget all that. This recipe is completely different and I promise you, absolutely superior. It’s really more British than it is southern, which appeals to the Anglophile in me. You won’t find corn syrup in my pecan pie. This recipe uses Lyle’s Golden Syrup, a staple in the British pantry. Corn syrup is made from, obviously, corn. It’s made by extracting the glucose from the corn. Golden syrup is made from sugar. It’s basically concentrated sugar cane syrup, a process by which sucrose is broken down into glucose and fructose. So, there’s the science.

Corn syrup has no real flavor. Lyle’s has a kind of buttery flavor that hints of vanilla. But just swapping golden syrup for corn syrup in the standard recipe doesn’t work—I’ve tried it. When made that way, the filling never properly sets.

I know that a few people who make pecan pie with golden syrup add a bit of cornstarch or flour for thickening, but I take a different tack. I’ve found that, when using golden syrup, pre-cooking the filling solves that problem and produces a smooth and creamy custardy interior. Because, this method has you making what is essentially a custard. One thing to note, however, is that this recipe uses cream. It’s a dairy dessert. Along with the silky texture and the delicate flavor of the golden syrup, this recipe gets a serious flavor kick from the addition of Bourbon (ok, so maybe it is a little southern…) and pecan extract. It’s not essential but it adds a lot of pecan-y-ness to the pecan-y-ness.

Because Pecan Pie is all about the pecans, I suggest you get the best ones you can find. Fresh pecans in the shell from California or Georgia are soft and rich tasting, almost juicy. If you can’t get those, go for organics. And do buy pecan halves, not pieces. The pieces tend to be a little dried out. We’re going to break up the nuts for the interior of the pie, but we want perfect, beautiful halves to artfully grace the top.

A great pie filling needs a great pie crust. The quality of the crust can make or break the entire pie. So, along with my great Pecan Pie Filling, I give you my great pie crust.

Many people feel threatened by the idea of making their own pastry. But fear not! When you know just a few tricks, you can be sure of turning out a perfect pie crust every time. And I’m going to share those tricks with you.

So, go with a frozen crust if you must (have you read the ingredients?), but I recommend you put on a brave face and try your hand at this shortcrust pastry, known in France by the fancy name of Pate Brisee. You’ll be patting yourself on the back, and everyone else will be, too.

I give you American measurements, but if you have a kitchen scale, use it. Exact measurements by weight will give you the same results, every time. If you do measure your flour by the cup, be sure to fill the cup by spooning the flour in and then leveling it. If you use the measuring cup as a scoop, your measurement won’t be accurate. With pastry, this makes a difference.

It's important to let the dough rest and chill between steps because this will give the gluten time to relax, which will result in a tender flaky crust. Don’t rush it.

Use unsalted European style butter, such as Kerrygold if you can, because it has a higher fat content, meaning less moisture, and that will give you a more tender crust. You need to use good pure butter because that’s the flavor you want to have come through in your crust.

Butter is yummy, but using solid vegetable shortening will give you that flaky crust that everyone wants to achieve. The ideal is to use half butter and half shortening. But, products like Crisco are bad for you and they taste bad, too. What’s a baker to do? Palm oil is naturally solid at room temperature. It has no taste and no greasy mouthfeel like the one you get after eating bakery products made with Crisco. Since I discovered it, I haven’t made pastry without it, and the results are always excellent. If your store doesn’t carry it (mine used to and now doesn’t), you can find it at Amazon. https://amzn.to/3ZOrWdCThe Grain Brain brand is kosher, has 0 trans fats, and 0 cholesterol, and it’s rated #1 in sustainability in the world, so you’re contributing to the betterment of the planet and its inhabitants when you use it.

And now, without further ado…

Ingredients:

1 ¼ cups (175 grams) all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon (14 grams) granulated white sugar
¼ cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, chilled, and cut into 1 inch (2.54 cm) pieces
¼ cup organic solid palm shortening
1/8 cup (30 ml) ice cold water

Method:

Notes: Some purists insist that pastry must be made by hand with a pastry cutter, but I’ve gotten excellent results using a food processor. The trick is to quickly pulse it so as not to overwork the dough.

Use as little water as possible, just enough for the dough to pull together, and make sure it’s icy cold.

By rolling the dough out between sheets of plastic wrap, you eliminate the need to add more flour to prevent sticking. It also makes it easier to transfer the dough to your pie plate.

This recipe makes enough for one deep dish 9” pie. I recommend using a metal pie plate because of superior heat distribution, but I’m not going to steer you away from a pretty ceramic one!

If the instructions seem long, it’s only because I’m being very detailed in my explanation. It will probably take you longer to read it than to do it…

Have all your ingredients cold.

In a food processor, combine the flour, salt, and sugar, and pulse to blend. Evenly distribute the butter pieces and the shortening, and quickly pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal (no more than 15 seconds). There should be small pieces of fat still showing.
Pour 1/8 cup (2 Tablespoons; 30 ml) water in a slow, steady stream, through the feed tube until the dough just holds together when pinched. If necessary, add more water, a tiny bit at a time. Do not process more than 30 seconds.
Turn the dough onto a sheet of plastic wrap on your work surface and gather it into a ball. Flatten into a disk, wrap it well, and refrigerate for 30 minutes to one hour before using.This will chill the butter and relax the gluten in the flour. You can also make the pastry dough a day ahead.
After the dough has chilled sufficiently, set out a large sheet of parchment paper. From a center point, measure out and mark 6” in multiple directions. This will give you a guide for rolling a 12” circle. Cover the parchment with a smooth sheet of plastic wrap. If your wrap isn’t wide enough, lay out a second sheet making a small overlap.
Unwrap your disc of dough and set it in the middle of your potential circle. Cover the dough with more plastic wrap. Using a rolling pin, start rolling from the center outward, turning the rolling pin to coax the dough into a circle. It’s fine if your circle isn’t perfectly round. Do try to get an even thickness all around.
When you’ve got your dough rolled out, set the rolling pin at one end and begin to loosely roll it over the rolling pin, leaving the top sheet of plastic wrap on the dough and carefully peeling off the bottom sheet as you go. Use the parchment as a helper.
Carefully lay the dough over your pie plate, unrolling it and coaxing it into the pan with your fingers. Peel off the top layer of plastic wrap. You should have extra dough hanging over the sides of the pan. Fold it under, making a thicker border around the whole circumference. If it rips a bit, just patch it. No worries. Play with the border of the crust until it’s about the same height and thickness all the way round. Use scissors or the flat of a knife to trim it if need be. Use a fork to make a decorative border or crimp the edges using your fingers.
Refrigerate the crust in the pan for at least 30 minutes. While the dough is resting, you can start your filling.

Ingredients:

1 cup (215 grams) dark brown sugar
2/3 cup (160 ml) Lyle's Golden Syrup, available in the international aisle or here.
1 tablespoon bourbon or dark rum
½ teaspoon vanilla bean paste
½ teaspoon pecan extract (optional, but really good!)
4 tablespoons (56 grams) unsalted butter
3 large eggs
1/4 cup (60 ml) cream
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 - 2 cups (150 - 200 grams) pecans

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). Place the oven rack in the bottom third of the oven.
Coarsely chop 1 cup of the pecans, or break them into smaller bits with your fingers.
Make the Pecan Filling: In a large saucepan, heat the brown sugar, Lyle's Golden Syrup, rum, cream, and butter until boiling, stirring constantly. As soon as it boils, remove the pot from the heat and let it cool to room temperature. Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, whisk the eggs with the extracts and the salt. When the boiled syrup has cooled, pour the egg mixture into the pot with the rest of the ingredientsk and whisk with a stick blender until smooth.
Remove the chilled pastry crust from the refrigerator and evenly distribute the chopped pecans over the bottom of the crust. Then pour the filling evenly over the nuts.
Gently arrange the remaining pecans in a circular fashion, as in the above photo. It’s actually good if they’re somewhat submerged in the filling.
Put the pie on a baking sheet, slide it into the oven, and bake for about 45 to 50 minutes, or until the filling is just set (a toothpick inserted into the center of the pie will come out clean. (If you find the edges of the pie crust are over-browning during baking, cover them with foil.)
Remove the pie from the oven and place it on a wire rack to cool.
Serve warm or at room temperature with maple whipped cream, if desired.

Maple Whipped Cream (optional)

Combine 1 cup heavy whipping cream with 1 teaspoon vanilla paste and 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup. Beat with a stick blender or in a stand mixer until thick, Keep coid.