Pecan pie is a traditional American cake made with pecan nuts that is usually prepared for the Holidays, in particular for Thanksgiving Day and during the Christmas holidays. I have known about this overseas preparation for a long time but I have never had the pleasure and opportunity to share it with you.
Pecan pie literally Pecan nut tart, is an exquisite autumn dessert typical of American cuisine!
Today I present it to you in a version that is very faithful to the original recipe but with some small changes to make up for the lack of some ingredients that are almost impossible to find here (for example, I replaced the corn syrup with organic maple syrup and the brown sugar with organic coconut blossom sugar and cane sugar).
Pecan pie is a dessert with a unique consistency, with a filling that remains slightly moist and creamy. The base of the cake is not shortcrust pastry but pie crust, a dough very similar to brisée pastry. It is a base without eggs and without sugar so it has a neutral flavor ideal for many sweet and savory preparations.
The peculiarity of this walnut cake is that we will use pecans, a variety of nut very common in America and that is distinguished from the classic ones by an elongated shape and less lumpy than the kernels we are used to. The flavor is more aromatic and lends itself wonderfully to desserts such as pie, the American cake.
In the United States you can easily find it served in coffee shops, as well as packaged in supermarkets (obviously, the quality is certainly not the same!), but here it is not so widespread. Don't worry though, making it at home is not difficult, you just need to get the right ingredients. So what are you waiting for? Take a trip to the supermarket and get ready to put one of the tastiest American desserts on the table!
In this recipe we suggest you use a whipped cream flavored with maple syrup as a garnish. Obviously you can also use classic whipped cream or, alternatively, you can serve the cake accompanied by a scoop of ice cream.
Like any traditional recipe, there are numerous versions, with the addition of more or less ingredients and many variations that include the addition of chocolate, pumpkin. The one I'm giving you today is the original Pecan pie recipe, taken from my American pastry book, then compared to Martha Stewart's.
In America its use is very high and it is the basis of the very famous apple pie. It is a walnut cake with a tradition that dates back to the nineteenth century and that exists today in many versions, we have prepared a very easy one that can be prepared without special tools. Just as good as the one from the pastry shops in New York!
Let's see together how to prepare the pecan pie.
Prep Time: 59 mins ♥ Cook Time: 50 mins ♥ Total Time: 1 hrs 10 mins ♥ Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients
For the base
4 cups flour
Salt to taste
1 pinch baking powder
1 cup butter
3 tbsp cold water
1 tsp sugar
For the filling:
1 cup fruit syrup
4 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp butter
3 eggs
1 cup pecans (or walnuts, almonds and hazelnuts)
1 tsp vanilla extract
Salt to taste
4 tbsp chocolate chips
3 tbsp rum
2 tbsp cream
For the garnish:
2 cups ice cream
4 tbsp maple syrup
Recipe Method
First prepare the dough base, place the flour, salt, sugar and baking powder in the bowl and add the softened butter and then the water a bit at a time until the mixture is firm and smooth.
Put the dough in the fridge for an hour, then take it back and roll it out on a floured surface with a rolling pin into a round it enters the tart mould and form a disc.
Put in buttered mould and decorate the edges: refit base in the refrigerator while you make the filling.
For the filling, In a saucepan bring to a boil the syrup, sugar, eggs, salt, rum, vanilla and melted butter, walnuts and chocolate chips. Transfer the mixture into a bowl to cool and add the cream and beaten eggs.
Take out the cooled base and distribute the nuts on the bottom, then pour over the syrup based mixture and bake for 45 minutes in the oven at 180 degrees C.
The filling will thicken as it cools. Stir the ice cream by mixing it with the syrup and put it back in the freezer to harden for a few minutes.
Finally, cut a slice of Pecan Pie arrange on a plate and serve with a scoop of ice cream or whipped cream and syrup!
