When I was growing up in Louisiana, fall meant pecans littering the ground from the stately trees in our suburban neighborhood. On walks home from the bus stop, we would dip into various neighbors’ backyards and gather as many pecans as would fit in our pockets and backpacks. My favorite thing to do once all the nuts had been shelled (by hand!) was to make pecan pie. This recipe uses cane syrup, which adds a more complex sweetness than corn syrup. Plus, by toasting the pecans, you bring out the umami and a slight bitterness, which balances the sweetness of the caramel-like filling. The heavy doses of vanilla and bourbon enhance the pecan flavor while also toning down the sweetness.

　　This pie crust recipe makes two disks of dough—save the second disk, wrapped carefully, in your freezer for another pie. The dough can be frozen up to 1 month and defrosted in the refrigerator for 1 to 3 days.

　　

Ingredients

Makes one 9-inch pie

　　

For the Flaky Pie Crust:

2½ cups (300g) all-purpose flour

　　2 tsp. granulated sugar

　　1 tsp. kosher salt

　　1 cup (2 sticks/226g) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch slices

　　1⁄3 cup (80ml) ice cold water, or more as needed

　　2 Tbsp. (30ml) apple cider vinegar

　　

For the Pie:

4 large eggs

　　4 Tbsp. (55g) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled

　　1 Tbsp. (8g) cornmeal

　　1 Tbsp. (15ml) vanilla extract

　　1 tsp. kosher salt

　　1 cup cane syrup (340g) or dark corn syrup

　　½ cup (100g) granulated sugar

　　½ cup (100g) packed light or dark brown sugar

　　3 Tbsp. (45ml) bourbon

　　2½ cups toasted pecan halves

　　1 partially-baked Flaky Pie Crust

　　

For the Flaky Pie Crust:

Step 1

Add the flour, sugar, and salt to the bowl of a food processor, or a large bowl if using a pastry blender. Pulse or whisk until the mixture is combined.

　　

Step 2

Add the butter and pulse until most of the butter is broken into pea-size pieces, about 15 pulses. There will be some larger pieces of butter, and that’s a good thing. If using a pastry blender, blend the butter until it’s pea size.

　　

Step 3

Add the cold water and vinegar to a cup and pour the liquid over the crumbly flour-butter mixture. Pulse until it looks like tiny clumps (like space dots ice cream), and there are no large pockets of flour. If using a pastry blender, use a large rubber spatula for this step, folding until no large pockets of flour remain.

　　

Step 4

Tip the mixture onto your work surface and use a light touch to gather the dough together and pat it down until it’s about 1 inch thick. Fold the dough in half, then pat it back down to a 1-inch block. Repeat twice, then pat and gather the dough into 2 round discs, smoothing the sides so they aren’t dry and crumbly. Wrap the discs tightly in plastic and let them rest in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes, and up to 3 days.

　　

Step 5

When ready to par-bake the pie crust, preheat oven to 350°F. On a lightly floured surface, roll out one disc of pie dough to an 11-inch circle, and transfer it to a 9-inch pie plate. Fit the dough into the pie plate, trimming any edge overhang that’s greater than 1 inch.

　　

Step 6

Prick the dough all over with the tines of a fork. Fit a piece of aluminum foil or parchment paper on the crust, leaving enough overhang so that you use the edges to lift it out later. (I like to use foil because I can easily cover the edges to prevent them from cooking too quickly, but parchment paper works, too.) Fill with pie weights or dried beans so the dough holds its shape and doesn’t puff up.

　　

Step 7

Bake on the middle rack until the bottom of the crust is dried out, about 20 minutes. You know it’s ready if, when you lift out the foil or parchment, it doesn’t stick. Carefully remove the pie crust from the oven by sliding it out and holding it from the bottom, so that you don’t disturb the sides or edges of the crust (best to use two oven mitts). Carefully remove the parchment paper or foil and the pie weights or beans. Set the pan on a cooling rack for the crust to cool.

　　

For the Pie:

Step 8

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, melted butter, cornmeal, vanilla, and salt.

　　

Step 9

Combine the cane syrup, sugars, and bourbon in a medium saucepan set over medium heat. Use a wooden spoon or whisk to stir continually. When the syrup starts to boil, cook an additional 2 minutes, then remove the pan from the heat.

　　

Step 10

Use one hand to continually whisk the egg mixture and use the other hand to slowly pour one-third of the hot syrup into the egg mixture. Continually whisking tempers the eggs so they can be heated without scrambling. Pour the egg mixture into the saucepan with the syrup, continuing to whisk constantly. Stir in the pecans and set aside for 30 minutes to let the syrup mixture cool.

　　

Step 11

If you've turned the oven off, preheat to 350° and place a rack in the middle of the oven.

　　

Step 12

When the syrup is at room temperature, pour it into the par-baked pie crust and bake until the center of the pie is just set and doesn’t jiggle, and a knife inserted into the center comes out clean, 50 to 55 minutes.

　　

Step 13

Remove the pie from the oven and let cool on a wire rack for at least 2 hours so the filling can firm up. Slice and serve.

　　From Life Is What You Bake It: Recipes, Stories, and Inspiration to Bake Your Way to the Top: A Baking Book © 2021 by Vallery Lomas. Reprinted with permission by Clarkson Potter, an imprint of Penguin Random House.Buy the full book from Penguin Random House, Amazon, or Bookshop.