British Guy Tries Pecan Pie for the First Time
Hey folks! Barry here, and today, we’re tackling something completely new for me—a pecan pie! Now, I know it’s a classic dessert, especially across the pond, but I’ve never actually made one before. It’s sweet, nutty, and a little intimidating if I’m honest. But hey, you know me—I love a good kitchen challenge. So let’s dive in and see how this goes, no pressure but this is actually our dessert for Boxing Day!
Method
Making the Pastry
We’re starting with the pastry, which I’ll admit can be a bit daunting if you’re not used to making it from scratch. But it’s actually quite straightforward, of course just buy read made pie case or pastry if you wish:
- First, we mix the flour and butter together, make sure the butter is cold and cubed in small pieces. I used a pastry blender for this, but you can rub with your fingers too until you’ve got a breadcrumb-like texture. If you’re in a rush (or fancy), a food processor would work too, but I stuck with trusty kitchen gadget for this one.
- Once you’ve got the breadcrumbs, mix in the sugar. It should start to thicken and come together into a dough. If it feels a bit crumbly, a tiny splash of cold water in batches should sort it out (say 1tsp at a time), or for a less flaky/buttery case with more stability, use 1 egg into the mix. Wrap the dough in cling film, press it down a bit into a fat disc and pop it into the fridge to chill for 30 minutes, this is really important to add strength.
Lining the Pie Tin
Now it’s time to roll out the pastry. Dust your work surface with a bit of flour, and roll the dough until it’s large enough to line a 23cm loose-bottomed tart tin. Press it gently into the tin, making sure you’ve got no cracks or gaps, leave a little overhang if you wish but trim off any major excess.
To stop the pastry puffing up, prick the base with a fork, line it with baking paper, and fill it with baking beans (or uncooked rice, if you don’t have any). Place the pastry lined tin back in the fridge to firm up whilst you pre-heat the oven.
Blind Baking the Pastry
Preheat your oven to 190°C (170°C fan/gas mark 5) and bake the pastry case for 15 minutes. Then, take out the paper and baking beans and pop it back in the oven for another 10 minutes, just until it just starts to turn lightly brown (I didn’t show this step in the final edit but you will notice he base is cooked vs when first removed) . Let it cool while you crack on with the filling.
First BATCH OF PECANS
Before you make the filling, baking pecans for the centre really increases the flavour! So scatter 100g of them out on a baking tray and when the pie case is done, leave the oven on and bake the pecans until fragrant and lightly charred, approx 10 mins, but keep your eye on them. Bash them lightly to halve them or smaller pieces if you wish and allow to cool, these will be going in the filling!
Making the Filling
The filling is where all the magic happens!
- Whisk the eggs in a big bowl for a few minutes, then add in the sugar, golden syrup, vanilla and Bourbon if using (you could also use rum). Melted butter is normally used but I wanted to omit it, but if using add in the butter too at this stage along with the cooled baked and bashed pecans from before.
-
Pour into crust – it should fill it about 1 cm / 2/5″ from the top (you may have excess if your pastry shrank).
-
Top with whole pecans in desired pattern, this part is actually quite fun, remember these are your other 100g pecans that were not baked and will sit on top.
Baking the Pie
Turn your oven down a notch to 180°C (160°C fan/gas mark 4) and bake the pie for 40-45 minutes. You’re looking for the filling to be set but with a little bit of wobble in the centre—it’ll firm up as it cools. It may also crack too, but that’s ok, that will shrink back!
Cooling and Serving
Once baked, let the pie cool completely before you take it out of the tin and then place in the fridge for a few hours, it was so worth doing that! Slice it up and serve with a dollop of cream or a scoop of ice cream. Trust me, it’s worth the wait in the fridge!
Final Thoughts
And there you have it—my first ever pecan pie! It’s always a bit nerve-wracking trying something new, but that’s half the fun, isn’t it a bit like these biscuits and gravy? Whether it turns out a masterpiece or a bit of a mess, it’s all about giving it a go.
If you try this recipe, let me know how you get on! And don’t forget to check out the video to see all the chaos (and the triumphs) in action. Cheers!