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Pecan pie with vanilla bourbon filling

Well it's my favorite time of the year again.   No, I don't like rainy and cold weather, I'm not that bonkers. When it comes to baking that is, and taking advantage of the variety of harvests this season. 

I always feel silly posting recipes for time-honored classics like this pie, because the recipes are everywhere and I think, why waste my time?!  Well, now I realize it isn't quite a waste of time.  Because not only do I myself look for these recipes through my blog, as well as my children, but friends and followers say they appreciate the easy approach and anecdotes (what anecdotes?!) and so my work is done (deep voice)...I shall persevere...

I do tend to bake fairly easy-to-bake recipes, primarily because that's really the way I cook, I don't like fuss and like a lot of you, I work and don't have much more than an hour or two to whip something up.  Therefore, let it be something goooood.

Here's my go-to shortbread crust that I use almost ALL the time, why change when it's basically fool-proof.  It's the same recipe but in different quantities for my individual hand tarts, the rose tarts, the walnut tarts, the apple tarte tatin or meringue, the chocolate silk pie...  More on those later (or peruse blog).

Here's the recipe with quantities for a couple of tarts (or 1 large one and 6 smaller ones) : 

150 g softened butter
4 tablespoons sugar
4 tablespoons of sour cream or buttermilk
300 g flour (or 220 g flour + 80 g almond flour)
2-3 tablespoons of milk (as needed)
1 teaspoon of salt

Mix ingredients in a bowl and knead about 2 minutes.  Refrigerate for about an hour.  Roll out dough into 1/4 to 1/8" thickness.  Cut out into forms to fit into pan or individual tart pans.  Poke dough with a fork so the dough doesn't bubble. Pre-bake at 190°C/350°F for about 12 minutes for individual pies or 15/20 minutes for one large pie, until slightly golden and halfway cooked, but not brown. If it does bubble while cooking, poke again with a fork and even out the surface.  Allow to cool on the counter about 10 minutes.

For the pecan filling : 
4 eggs
150 g light brown sugar (you can also use dark brown sugar to get a darker filling)
20 cl maple syrup or corn syrup
2 tablespoons bourbon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract or contents of 1/2 a vanilla bean
1/2 teaspoon salt
100 g melted butter

1-1/2 cup pecan halves (slightly toasted in the oven beforehand about 1-2 minutes, to bring out their crunchiness)

In a bowl, when breaking open eggs, remove any white clumpy bits from the egg whites (in order to get a smooth and creamy filling while baking).  Mix eggs with a beater about 1 minute until you get a nice even yellow color.  Add all other ingredients one at a time, only folding in pecans with a spatula at the end, making sure not to break them.
Pour into pre-baked dough about 3/4 of the way, as the batter will grow somewhat.  Bake for about 20-25 minutes for large pies / 15-20 minutes for individual pies in same temperatures 190°C/350°F.  Once the middle has risen it is ready.  It will deflate thereafter. Take out of oven and allow to cool.  Serve with whipped cream or if you're into total indulgence like me, a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Enjoy, everyone !  And happy November festivities !


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