So I am cooking Thanksgiving dinner for S and his GF, and apparently she likes pecan pie.
I generally do not like it: I find it much too sweet, the nuts lose their character, etc. I did have pecan pie tarts with dark rum once that were really good.
I’ve done some searching, and I’ve found recipes that toast the nuts first (that sounds like a good idea), partially prebake the crust (sounds like another good idea), recipes with 2 TBSP of bourbon (Sounds good but that is unlikely to be enough to actually taste IMHO but will more liquid ruin it? How about dark rum instead?), recipes that use some brown sugar, or some maple syrup, or some cocoa or other chocolate. I even found one recipe that uses a mixture of brown and white sugar and no corn syrup at all. What about chopped pecans vs pecan halves?
Have people tried any of these? Can you offer some advice? Do you have a kick-ass recipe?
Oh, I will be waiting for some good ideas! Growing up in Texas, where the state tree is the pecan, I should know how to make a good pecan pie, but I don’t. When I was in Austin a couple of weeks ago, my friend gave me a bunch of pecans from her yard that she shelled for me. Worth their weight in gold, just about.
MTA: Oh, and it’s pronounced “puh-con.” Not “pee-can!”
I make the King Arthur Flour recipe - no corn syrup - you could add Molasses instead of Bourbon. Molasses would cut the sweetness a touch too if a “not to sweet” Pecan Pie (although that feels like an oxymoron) is your goal.
I’ve had a bourbon pecan pie that was AMAZING. (I love pecan pie, for the record. In all its forms, including Pennsylvania Dutch Shoofly Pie, which is pecan pie without the pecans, basically.) I’ve made this recipe: http://www.marthastewart.com/333110/maple-bourbon-pecan-pie and enjoyed it. (The amazing one I had was from a local pie baker named Lauretta Jean’s, so I don’t know her recipe.)
I always toast the pecans for a bit more flavor. Last year, I tried a recipe for a pecan oatmeal pie, and I will be making that again. The oats added a nice texture and reduced the cloying sweetness of the pie. I found the recipe online, but I’m not sure now which one I used.
I have made a fudge pecan pie that I find less sweet than traditional pecan pie. And I sautée the nuts in some browned butter for a little extra flavor. You can search for a recipe. I think this is the one I have made:
I was listening to an America’s Test Kitchen podcast recently where they talked about pecan pie issues. This is the link to their recipe which apparently uses maple syrup - looks like you might have to give an email to see the page though? (hate when they do that!) https://www.cooksillustrated.com/recipes/1228-perfect-pecan-pie?extcode=NPI0Z00CZ
My mother, a Mississippi native, uses Kahlua (about 2 Tbsp) in hers. It is very good. When I make it, I use the Cooks Illustrated vodka crust, which is foolproof. Google it, but also partake it. Putting a filling in a raw crust is seldom a good idea.
You need to use lots more pecans than most recipes call for. I like this one http://allrecipes.com/recipe/24090/caramel-pecan-pie/
But I make it in muffin-cup sized tarts. Fill them with pecan pieces and then pour the liquid part. They are very good.
Traditional pecan pie with a cup of pecans over an inch and a half of goo, no thank you.
Can you buy a pie someplace? We had a restaurant near our old house that had great pies, you went and picked them up the day before. (New house, we looked and they were wildly expensive, so we baked).
This post reminds me of my 26 y/o newlywed self. My sweet North Dakota MIL was hosting us for Thanksgiving. It was my first Thanksgiving away from Texas and she thought she would make a pecan pie just for me. It was SUCH a nice gesture—but omg she added coconut and chocolate!!! Like…WHYYYYYYY?
I was nice and kind and gracious but my eyes watered a bit–I was sad to be away from home and even sadder that she had ruined a pecan pie by adding those ingredients lol! IT all turned out well and there were no hurt feelings. I was thankful she had tried!
She did eventually learn how to make a mean pecan pie–the traditional east Tx pecan pie here doesn’t have chocolate, coconut, bourbon,etc. Has she hinted at how she likes it?
The 26 y/o newlywed in me says you could do a special thing by sweetly emailing or messaging the GFs mom and asking for her recipe. Of course, that could go wrong too but it could be a good thing!
I made a chocolate bourbon pecan pie with bourbon whipped cream, it is sometimes called a Kentucky Derby Pie, for a Kentucky Derby party that was really good. Even people who weren’t found of bourbon enjoyed it.
1 regular frozen pie crust (not deep dish) (I did home made)
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2/3 cup flour
1 cup finely chopped pecans
1 cup chocolate chips
Bourbon Whipped Cream
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 Tbsp Maker’s Mark Bourbon
Preheat oven to 325.
Melt butter, and cool for about 5 minutes. Combine flour and sugar. Whisk in melted butter, eggs and vanilla. Stir in nuts.
Sprinkle chocolate chips on the bottom of the pie crust. Pour pecan mixture over chocolate chips.
Bake for 1 hour. Serve with Bourbon Whipped Cream.
To make the cream, Whip together heavy cream, powdered sugar and bourbon. (I chill my mixing bowl in the freezer for 5-10 minutes before adding the cream and sugar). Whip at high speed for 1-2 minutes.
I must confess that I make pecan pie every year by just using the recipe from the Karo corn syrup on the label. I cut the amount of corn syrup and I add more pecans. I use a frozen pie crust… like Oronoque brand. I make home made whipped cream… It is consistently good, always a hit with everyone.
I do bake it in the office with a cookie sheet under it as there have been times when the pie is really full and can overflow the crust but usually it is just right
