08 December 2008

Holiday Pecan Pie

Pour mes lecteurs français, je n'ai pas traduit cette recette car il y a trop d'ingrédients qu'on ne trouve pas (ou difficilement) en France. Mais ne vous désespérez pas : il y a plus de bonnes recettes à venir en français bientôt !

Thank you all for you kind comments. It was a difficult week but things are slowly getting back to normal. I'm a bit exhausted, but I've been meaning to post about my very favorite thing about Thanksgiving (yes, I know, we're getting closer and closer to Christmas, but at least I'm in the holiday spirit) and that's pecan pie.

I say "Thanksgiving" or "holiday pie" instead of "Christmas pie" and that's because D. is a certifiable Grinch when it comes to Christmas (there's may even be a greenish hint to the skin that comes on towards the beginning of December, and becomes more pronounced when surrounded by shoppers "getting in the spirit"). I personally love Christmas so I don't let grinchy-ness get in the way of preparing to give presents or listening to the soundtrack of the nutcracker on repeat. And almost everyone enjoys edible presents like Clementine-Walnut Meringues, for example, or Peanut Butter Chocolate Balls (and more ideas on that to come). But Christmas, like Thanksgiving, is often about eating good food at home with family, and this pecan pie could certainly fall into that category.

It's simple to make, can be made ahead of time and is oh so yummy!

Ingredients:

1 pie crust

2 cups (250g) pecans coursely chopped, plus 10 whole for decorating the top

3 large eggs
1 cup (215g) light brown sugar
1 cup (2 dl) dark corn syrup (yes, I know, corn syrup is bad for you, but this is only recipe I ever use it in so I let myself splurge. It makes the consistency so perfect!)
5 Tbsp (70g) melted butter
1 tsp vanilla
1 Tbsp dark rum
1/2 tsp salt (unless you used salted butter, in which leave out the salt)


Preheat the oven to 375F (190C) and spread out the chopped pecans on a cookie sheet. Toast the pecans in the oven until golden 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Whisk the rest of the ingredients together until well-blended. Stir in the toasted pecans. Warm the pie crust in the oven until hot to the touch (a couple minutes, no more). Pour in the filling and arrange the 10 whole pecans on top in the pattern of your choice. Bake 35-45 minutes, until the edges are firm and center is set but still a bit quivery (it will continue to harden as it cools). Let stand for at least an hour or more before serving to allow it to set completely. Serve warm with ice cream or whipped cream.

14 comments:

Sam said...

I've always wanted to try pecan pie, it looks so good! I'm hoping golden syrup will work in place of corn syrup, I'm not really sure what the difference is!

Rosa's Yummy Yums said...

I love Pecan Pie! You reminded me that I should make one soon ;-P...

Cheers,

Rosa

PG said...

You know, I've never tried pecan pie. Looks like you did a great job on yours.

Will you be going home for the holidays?

Hopie said...

Sam - I've never cooked with golden syrup. I think it's more viscous than corn syrup but maybe someone knows better than I do. I'm sure you can use it in the pecan pie. Give it a try and let me know how it goes!

Rosa - Definitely! I'd love to see your version.

Psychgrad - You should try it if you like pecans. It's super easy to make. Yep, I'm going home for the holidays, very excited!

Anonymous said...

This sounds and looks so yummy! I haven't had Pecan Pie in so long and now I am so craving it.

David Newhouse said...

Here are two yummy variations, for those who want something more unusual:

Coffee-Pecan Pie: Omit the rum and replace 1/8 cup of the dark corn syrup with Kahlua or another coffee liqueur.

OOrange-Pecan Pie: Omit the rum and replace 1/8 cup of the dark corn syrup with Grand Marnier.

Aaaaaaah.

Hopie said...

Kathy - Well then you should make some ;-)

Dad - Both those variations sound super delicious! I'm going to have to try them. Pecan pie for Christmas anyone? ;-)

Ivy said...

Pecans have become my favourite nuts since I've tried them but I've never made a pecan pie before. It sounds like a great idea to try this one.

Anonymous said...

I can attest, it was delicious!

Dewi said...

I love this traditional pecan pie, I would never dream of leaving it out on Thanksgiving day. My son would be furious, because Pecan pie is his favorite Thanksgiving dessert.
Yours looks really delicious.
Cheers,
Elra

Hopie said...

Ivy - You should try it! If you love pecans, there's nothing not to like in this recipe ;-)

Camille - Thanks!

Elra - I know how you feel. Glad to know I'm not the only one for whom this pie is a must!

Anonymous said...

Glad to see you back - and with a delicious looking Pecan Pie. Yum!

Hopie said...

Kristen - Thank you! I'm getting back to the blog slowly, but surely. Doesn't hurt to have yummy stuff to blog about ;-)

Hopie said...

Susan - I'm glad you're enjoying reading the blog. Stop by anytime :-)