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Bourbon Brown Butter Pecan Pie

Source of Recipe

From "The Southern Sympathy Cookbook" by Perre Coleman Magness


Recipe Introduction

"The queen of Southern pies�no gathering would be complete without a pecan pie. Most cooks have a favorite version, and I would never suggest that your family's is not the best ever�but I take the classic up a notch with toasted pecans, a shot of bourbon, and rich, nutty browned butter."

List of Ingredients

For the crust:
◦ 1 � cups all-purpose flour
◦ � teaspoon salt
◦ � teaspoon granulated sugar
◦ 8 tablespoons (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
◦ 2 to 4 tablespoons ice water

For the filling:
◦ 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
◦ 1 � cups chopped pecans
◦ 4 large eggs
◦ 1 cup cane syrup
◦ � cup granulated sugar
◦ 2 tablespoons bourbon
◦ Pinch of kosher salt


Recipe

For the crust:
Place the flour, salt, and sugar in the bowl of a food processor and pulse a few times to mix. Drop in the small pieces of cold butter and pulse several times until the mixture is crumbly, but some minute pieces of butter are still visible. Sprinkle the water over, a tablespoon at a time, and pulse to combine. When the pastry just comes together, dump the dough onto a lightly floured surface and pat into a disk about � inch thick. Wrap the disk in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before rolling.

When ready to roll, place the disk on a lightly floured surface and, using a floured rolling pin, roll out the pastry to a round about 14 inches in diameter, to fit a 9-inch pie plate. Carefully drape the pastry over the rolling pin and transfer to the pie dish. Gently fit into the bottom and sides of the dish. Trim any overhanging pastry and lightly dust the bottom of the prepared crust with flour. Set aside.

For the filling:
Preheat the oven to 425� F. Cut the butter into small pieces and place in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook the butter, swirling the pan occasionally, until the foam begins to subside and the butter is a nice toasty brown and smells nutty. Pour it into a measuring cup or small bowl and leave to cool (if you leave it in the hot pan it will continue to cook and will burn).

Place the chopped pecans in a large, dry skillet and toast over medium-high heat, just until the nuts begin to toast and release their lovely, nutty fragrance. Set aside to cool.

Beat the eggs in a mixing bowl, then beat in the cane syrup, sugar, bourbon, and salt. Stir in the cooled brown butter, leaving any residue in the measuring cup, then add the cooled pecans. Pour the filling into the prepared crust making sure the nuts are evenly distributed. Carefully transfer to the oven and cook 40 to 50 minutes, until the center is puffed up and no longer wobbly. I recommend that you shield the edges of the crust with foil or a crust shield before the pie goes in the oven. It is hard to do when the pie is hot. Remove the cooked pie from the oven and leave to cool completely. The pie will keep wrapped tightly for 2 days, or can be wrapped in plastic wrap, then foil, and frozen for up to 6 months.

Serves 6






❧ Note: I think chopped pecans make the pie easier to eat, but if you prefer traditional pecan halves, feel free to use them.