Pecan Pie!

[madbaker]

patsmor asked... anyone else want to share their favorite versions?

Crust:
1 cup flour
3 T sugar
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cloves
4 T butter
1 egg

Combine dry ingredients and stir well. Cut butter in. Beat the egg in a small bowl and pour over. Stir in until the dough begins to hold together. Scrape dough onto a floured work surface and knead quickly 3-4 times until it is smooth and uniform. Press into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and press into a 6" circle. Refrigerate at least 1 hour.

Filling:
1 cup dark corn syrup
3/4 cup sugar
6 T butter
3 eggs
pinch salt
2 T bourbon
2 cups pecan halves and pieces

Combine syrup and sugar and stir to mix; bring to a full boil over low heat without stirring. Remove from heat, add butter, let melt. Whisk eggs and then salt and bourbon in. Whisk in the syrup mixture, being careful not to overmix. Let cool.

Heat oven to 350. Roll out crust in 9" pan. Arrange pecans inside crust. Skim any foam from syrup mixture, then pour over pecans. Press nuts in so they are covered. Bake for 45 minutes, until the crust is baked through and filling is set and puffed in the center. Cool and serve warm.

Comments: I like the balance of the filling. I like the spices in the crust, but I prefer a flakier standard butter crust. The cookbook says "I like to use this cakelike dough... because of the sugar and egg, the dough is always tender, never tough, and tolerates rerolling without becoming tough." That may be true but I've gotten better at piecrusts so I think I'll adapt my usual one.

Good thing I didn't use the recipe on the corn syrup label; it calls for significantly more sugar and butter, and less nuts. That would have been waaay too sweet for my taste.