How To Make Pecan Pie

One of the alternatives to apple pie and the supreme pie of all, the pumpkin pie is a gold old fashioned sweet pecan pie. It is easy to make and even freeze if it is wrapped up properly. When you eat it, just make sure there is plenty of cream available.

Pecan pie is above all a classic of US dining. The pecan nuts are native to North America and the native Indian tribes would grow and harvest them. the name itself is derived from the French word pacane which is an Algonquian word for ‘nut’. Some French believe that pecan pie developed in New Orleans but no-one can find evidence to support the idea.

Many pecan nut trees were grown deliberately alongside waterways. The Mississippi River which made its way into Alabama was a popular spot. After the American Civil War, pecan nut trees were planted in groves and the nut soon became a viable alternative to the walnut. The idea of a pie probably soon caught on very quickly.

Ingredients:

• 250g (8oz) readymade shortcrust pastry
• 100g (3½oz) pecan halves
• 100g (3½oz) light muscovado sugar
• 1 tbsp plain flour
• 50g butter, softened
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 140g (4½oz) golden syrup
• 1tsp vanilla extract
• 50ml (2fl oz) single cream
• cream or crème fraîche, to serve

Preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 7, 220˚C, fan 200˚C. On a lightly floured surface, roll the pastry into a circle large enough to line a loose-bottomed flan tin 23cm (9in) round and around 2·5cm (1in) deep. Press the pastry into the tin and trim off the edges. Chill.
2. Scatter the pecans on a baking sheet and put in the oven for about 6-8 minutes until slightly browned. Cool, then chop.
3. Mix the sugar and flour. Beat the butter until soft and creamy then gradually stir in the sugar mixture. Slowly beat in the eggs a little at a time, then the syrup and vanilla. There is no danger of the mixture curdling.
4. Stir in the cream and the chopped pecans.
5. Put the lined flan tin on a baking sheet. Pour the filling mixture into the pastry case. Bake for 5 minutes, then lower the heat to Gas Mark 4, 180˚C, fan 160˚C and bake for another 20-25 mins or until the filling is set and looks slightly cracked and puffy (it will settle once cooled).
6. Serve warm with cream or crème fraîche.