Philosophical Musings: What Makes a Pie?
Dec. 11th, 2017 01:30 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
madbakerThis week's Bonus Holiday Resolution Recipe: Sous Vide Pecan Pie.
1 cup pecans
1/2 cup maple syrup (I only use "Grade A Amber" formerly known as Grade B)
1/2 c brown sugar
1/4 c cream
1 1/2 tspmolasses (I don't like it; I used dark corn syrup instead, since the only reason I have that in the house is for pecan pie.)
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
1/4 tsp salt
3 large egg yolks (I used duck egg yolks)
Freshly whipped cream hard sauce, for topping (The curvy upstairs neighbor does not care for schlag, and besides - hard sauce is better for this. Sugar, rum, butter.)
Set the sous vide to 195. Generously grease 4 half-pint canning jars.
Toast pecans until fragrant, 7-10 minutes at 350. Remove from heat and let cool. Roughly chop.
Combine the maple syrup, brown sugar, cream, andmolasses corn syrup in a small saucepan. Place over medium heat and stir occasionally until the sugar melts, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool for 5 minutes.
Whisk butter and salt into the sugar mixture until melted. Whisk in egg yolks until smooth. Stir in pecans.
Divide the filling between the prepared jars; each jar should be no more than half full. Place lids and bands on jars and seal until just tight (do not over-tighten jars; air will still need to escape). Place jars in water bath and set the timer for 2 hours.
Remove the jars from the water bath and place on a cooling rack. Carefully remove the lids. Let cool to room temperature and serve topped withwhipped cream hard sauce.
What worked: These were delightful. Very easy compared to a traditional pecan pie recipe.
They tasted like pecan pie goo - but not too sweet as some recipes are - and the hard sauce gilded the lily wonderfully. We ate them with long spoons (because the devil was in the bottom, obviously). The goo was just the right texture for pecan pie filling.
What didn't: Slightly hard to eat; a wide-mouth jar would help with that. They weren't as showy as a pie. Pecans floating to the surface and setting is more visible in a jar than in a pie crust.
Will I make it again? Sure, it will be a seasonal thing. I still like traditional pecan pies. (Unlike lemon meringue pie, where I think the crust and meringue are superfluous - all I need is lemon curd and a spoon.)
I'll go with the OED on this one, who define a pie as "a baked dish of fruit, or meat and vegetables, typically with a top and base of pastry." No baking, no dish, no pastry: QED, it's not a pie. It's pecan goo in a jar.
1 cup pecans
1/2 cup maple syrup (I only use "Grade A Amber" formerly known as Grade B)
1/2 c brown sugar
1/4 c cream
1 1/2 tsp
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
1/4 tsp salt
3 large egg yolks (I used duck egg yolks)
Set the sous vide to 195. Generously grease 4 half-pint canning jars.
Toast pecans until fragrant, 7-10 minutes at 350. Remove from heat and let cool. Roughly chop.
Combine the maple syrup, brown sugar, cream, and
Whisk butter and salt into the sugar mixture until melted. Whisk in egg yolks until smooth. Stir in pecans.
Divide the filling between the prepared jars; each jar should be no more than half full. Place lids and bands on jars and seal until just tight (do not over-tighten jars; air will still need to escape). Place jars in water bath and set the timer for 2 hours.
Remove the jars from the water bath and place on a cooling rack. Carefully remove the lids. Let cool to room temperature and serve topped with
What worked: These were delightful. Very easy compared to a traditional pecan pie recipe.
They tasted like pecan pie goo - but not too sweet as some recipes are - and the hard sauce gilded the lily wonderfully. We ate them with long spoons (because the devil was in the bottom, obviously). The goo was just the right texture for pecan pie filling.
What didn't: Slightly hard to eat; a wide-mouth jar would help with that. They weren't as showy as a pie. Pecans floating to the surface and setting is more visible in a jar than in a pie crust.
Will I make it again? Sure, it will be a seasonal thing. I still like traditional pecan pies. (Unlike lemon meringue pie, where I think the crust and meringue are superfluous - all I need is lemon curd and a spoon.)
I'll go with the OED on this one, who define a pie as "a baked dish of fruit, or meat and vegetables, typically with a top and base of pastry." No baking, no dish, no pastry: QED, it's not a pie. It's pecan goo in a jar.
