The usual corn syrup is replaced with agave nectar in this elegant tart. It’s beautiful on a holiday dessert table or at any get-together.

　　

Ingredients

serves 12

　　Oat Pastry Piecrust, prebaked (page 78)

　　3 tablespoons unsalted butter

　　3/4 cup amber agave nectar

　　3 large eggs or 3/4 cup egg substitute

　　1 tablespoon bourbon or dark rum

　　1 teaspoon vanilla extract

　　1 1/2 teaspoons maple extract

　　1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

　　1/2 cup pecans, coarsely chopped and roasted in a 350°F oven for 5 minutes

　　2 tablespoons sprouted spelt flour

　　2 cups pecan halves

　　Sinfully Rich Vanilla Bean Ice Cream (page 82), Soy Vanilla Ice Cream (page 83), or Agave Nectar Whipped Cream (page 113), for garnish (optional)

　　

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

　　

Step 2

Prepare the pie dough, press into a 10-inch tart pan with a removable bottom, and bake for 5 minutes.

　　

Step 3

To prepare the filling, beat the butter and agave nectar with an electric mixer until fluffy. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, and beat again until well combined. Add the bourbon, vanilla extract, maple extract, and cinnamon and mix until combined. In a separate bowl, mix the chopped pecans with the flour and fold them into the egg mixture. Pour into the prebaked piecrust and bake for 15 minutes, or until the filling is lightly set.

　　

Step 4

Remove the tart from the oven and arrange the pecan halves in concentric circles over the top of the tart, pressing down lightly into the filling. Bake for another 30 minutes, or until completely set. Halfway through baking, cover the tart with tented foil to prevent the pecans from overbrowning. Remove from the oven and cool on a cooling rack. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

　　Reprinted with permission from Baking with Agave Nectar: Over 100 Recipes Using Nature's Ultimate Sweetener by Ania Catalano. Copyright © 2008 by Ania Catalano; photography © 2008 by Lara Hata. Published by Celestial Arts, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., New York.Ania Catalano is a graduate of the Natural Gourmet School of Cooking in New York and the owner of the Gourmet Whole Foods Catering and Cooking School in Milford, Connecticut.