by Sarah Steimer
This was the first time I ever made a pecan pie, and I had planned to head over to Martha Stewart’s website for the recipe. After talking with my mom, she mentioned my Uncle Steve makes great pecan pie (even though I don’t think she’s ever tried it). I asked him for the recipe and here we have it: The great Stephen Jameson pecan pie. And now I can officially vouch for how good it is.
For the crust:
- 2 cups flour
- 6 tablespoons of unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
- 1/2 tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 tablespoon white vinegar
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons cold water
Combine the flour, butter, sugar and salt in a medium bowl, mixing until coarse crumbles appear.
Whisk together the vinegar, egg and cold water in a small bowl. Add the liquids to the dry mix and combine with your hands. Form into a ball and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight.
For the filling
- 1 1/4 cup Grade A maple syrup
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 3 eggs
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped pecans (plus a few halves for garnish, optional)
Whisk all filling ingredients together in a medium bowl.
I plan to freeze this pie (just wrap tightly with plastic wrap and aluminium foil) and take it home for Thanksgiving.
Roll the pie crust dough into about an 11-inch round. Fit into a 9-inch pie plate, allowing about 1/2-inch or so to overhang the edges of the dish — the crust WILL shrink a bit. Poke a few holes in the bottom of the crust and bake for about five minutes at 375 degrees. Remove the crust from the oven and carefully arrange the edges in your preferred design. I took a cue from Caitlin and made an easy criss-cross pattern with the back of a knife.
Carefully add the filling so as not to overflow the crust. Return to the oven (still on 375 degrees). Let bake for about 1 hour, checking it about halfway through. If the crust is beginning to brown too quickly, cover it with aluminium foil or a crust shield (cheap and totally worth it). The pie is ready when the center is still slightly jiggly and has puffed up.
Allow the pie to cool completely before serving. The center will mostly level out once cooled.
Recipe adapted from my Uncle Steve.
*This month we’re featuring classic pies that would be a great dessert at any Thanksgiving table. For the full list of pies, click here.
