Pecan pie recipe

Make a celebratory meal memorable with this gorgeous pie. Photo / Fresh Media

This old-fashioned pie is a classic for celebration meals.

Make life easy for yourself by using store-bought shortcrust pastry and focus on putting the filling together in all its nutty caramel richness. This is a dessert that people will be talking about!

Pecan pie

Serves 6-8

Ingredients

Pecan Pie:

2 sheets of sweet shortcrust pastry

5 eggs

1 cup brown sugar

170 g golden syrup

1 Tbsp vanilla extract

1½ cups pecans

½ tsp ground nutmeg

½ cup extra pecans (for top)

Whipped cream:

300ml cream

1 tsp Frangelico Liqueur

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp icing sugar

To serve:

White chocolate shavings

Edible flowers

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
2. Slightly overlap the two pastry sheets and press firmly to bond together.
3. Cut the pastry slightly bigger than a 22cm pie dish or springform pan. Gently lift the pastry and place it into the pie dish. Smooth out the base and press the edges up the sides.
4. Prick the pastry base with a fork a few times and bake for 10–15 minutes or until it’s just starting to turn golden.
5. In a bowl, place the eggs, brown sugar, golden syrup, vanilla and pecans and mix until well combined. Sprinkle nutmeg evenly over the mixture and stir well again.
6. Pour the nut mixture on to the pastry base. Place the extra half a cup of whole pecans on top - you can scatter them randomly or place them in a careful pattern.
7. Return the pie to the oven for a further 40-50 minutes. If the pastry is browning too much during this cooking time, cover the pie with some tinfoil.
8. Remove the pie from the oven and leave to cool completely. The filling will set as it cools.
9. Pour all of the whipped cream ingredients into a bowl and whip until soft peaks form.
10. Pipe or dollop some of the cream on top of the pecan pie. Scatter flowers and white chocolate shavings over the top and serve with the extra whipped cream in a side bowl.

Afterword

The edible flowers and shavings of white chocolate are optional, but they do make the pie look spectacular for a special occasion.

-fresh.co.nz