Chilling time:
30 mins

Special equipment:
9in (22cm) tart pan with removable bottom
food processor with blade attachment (optional)
baking beans

Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour, plus extra
for dusting
7 tbsp unsalted butter, chilled and diced
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg yolk
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
creme fraiche or whipped cream,
to serve (optional)

For the filling:
2⁄3 cup maple syrup
4 tbsp butter
1 cup light brown sugar
few drops of pure vanilla extract
pinch of salt
3 large eggs
7oz (200g) pecans

Method:
1 Using your fingertips, rub the flour and butter together, or pulse-blend in a food processor, until they form fine crumbs. Stir in the sugar.

2 Beat the egg yolk with the vanilla and add to the dry ingredients, bringing the mixture together to form a soft dough. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).

3 Roll out the pastry on a well floured surface to 1⁄8in (3mm) thick. It will be fragile, so should it begin to crumble, just bring it together again with your hands and give it a gentle knead to get rid of any cracks. Use it to line the pan, leaving an overlapping edge of at least ¾in (2cm). Prick the base all over with a fork.

4 Line the pastry crust with parchment and weigh it down with baking beans.

5 Place the crust on a baking sheet and blind bake it for 20 minutes. Remove the beans and paper and bake for another 5 minutes if the center still looks a little uncooked.

6 Pour the maple syrup into a pan and add the butter, sugar, vanilla extract, and salt.

7 Place the pan over low heat and stir constantly until the butter has melted and the sugar dissolved. Remove the pan from the heat and leave the mixture to cool until it feels just tepid, then beat in the eggs, 1 at a time. Stir in the pecans, then pour the mixture into the pastry crust.

8 Bake for 40–50 minutes, or until just set. Cover with a sheet of foil if it is browning too quickly.

9 Remove the pie from the oven, transfer it to a wire rack, and leave to cool for 15–20 minutes.

10 Remove from the pan and either serve it warm or leave it on the wire rack to cool completely. Serve with crème fraîche or whipped cream.

STORE:
The tart will keep in an airtight container for 2 days.

PREPARE AHEAD:
The unfilled pastry crust can be prepared ahead and stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days, or frozen for 12 weeks.

BAKER’S TIP:
Try to buy nuts fresh each time you want to bake with them. Remember to buy them in small batches, and never store them for very long. Nuts turn rancid very quickly, due to the large amount of oil they contain, and just one rancid nut can taint and ruin this tart.

Thanskgiving Pecan Pie