Delicious. I keep getting rave reviews for this pie from family and friends!
- Carbohydrate 78.2217908699355 g
- Cholesterol 208.192578172042 mg
- Fat 37.373380843903 g
- Fiber 2.59105888624288 g
- Protein 9.26094595504621 g
- Saturated Fat 14.3041120208918 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (165g)
- Sodium 203.859469627239 mg
- Sugar 75.6307319836926 g
- Trans Fat 2.7084338228996 g
- Calories 669 calories
Step-by-step
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F /180 degrees C.
- In a medium bowl combine flour and chilled butter with a pastry cutter until dough resembles coarse meal. Add water gradually and mix just until dough holds together and can be shaped into a ball. Wrap dough tightly in plastic wrap or a plastic bag. Refrigerate 1 hour or until firm.
- On floured board using a floured rolling pin, roll out dough into a circle. Place it in baking pan.
- Trim dough if needed. Refrigerate 15 minutes.
- To prepare the filling: Melt 5 tablespoons of butter in medium saucepan over medium heat. Remove from heat and stir in sugar and corn syrup. Mix until smooth. Add vanilla and eggs, and beat with spoon until thoroughly combined. Fold in chopped pecans.
- Pour the pecan filling into the pastry-lined pan. Place pan in center of oven and bake 50-60 minutes or until filling is set. Cool on wire rack. Serve at room temperature or chilled.
Pastry Structure
Unlike standard custard tarts that rely on gelatin or heavy starches, this pie achieves its body from whole eggs cooked gently inside a sugar matrix. Working chilled butter into flour with a pastry cutter creates discrete pockets of fat. When those fat pockets melt in a 350 degrees F oven, steam creates distinct layers. Keep the water ice-cold to prevent the butter from softening prematurely. Chilling the formed crust for 15 minutes before baking stops the edges from shrinking.
Filling Chemistry
Liquid sweeteners and melted butter require thorough emulsification so the filling does not separate into an oily slick during baking. Beat the eggs and vanilla vigorously into the sugar mixture until completely smooth. Corn syrup provides invert sugar molecules that prevent crystallization. Bake the center until internal proteins coagulate fully and the filling stops jiggling noticeably.
Yield Adjustments
Scaling this formula requires proportional adjustments to maintain the correct ratio of nuts to syrup. Doubling the batch fits easily into two standard nine-inch pie pans rather than one oversized vessel. Portion control protects food budgets while delivering consistent slice thickness across multiple servings.
