What kind of pie??

My darling friend Lizard bought some from her home in Canadia (sic) when she last visited me. And I have been waiting for a chance to use it. Not just on pancakes, but a recipe worthy of this liquid gold. And last night, despite it being 38 degrees C here inOz, my son the Lima Bean had a hankering for pie.

Pie is a staple in our house. Pot pies in winter, peach pies in summer. Apple high pies, cheesecakes, hell, I even do a mean pie with left over strog.

And my Lima Bean is a pie eatin' fool!!! Thus our version of Chicken Run's famous "What kind of pie?"

Anyhoo.. here's the recipe:

Donna Hay's Pecan Pie.
Donna Hay Modern Classics Book 2

Crust:

2 cups plain flour
3 tablespoons caster sugar
150g cold butter, chopped.
2-3 tablespoons iced water.

process the flour, sugar and butter in a food processor until mix resembles fine bread crumbs. With motor running, add enough iced water to form a smooth dough and process untill just combined. Knead dough and wrap in cling film. Refrigerate for 30 mins.


Preheat the oven to 180C. Roll out pastry on a lightly floured surface until 3mm thick. Place in a 9incg (22cm) tart tin. Line with non-stick baking paper and fill with pastry weights, uncooked rice or beans. Bake for 10 mins, remove weights and bake a further 10 mins or until the pastry is golden. Remove from oven and cool.

Filling:

1 cup pecan nuts
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup maple syrup
40g butter, melted and slightly cooled.
3 eggs
1/4 cup pouring cream.

Place pecans on baking tray and bake for 5 mins until golden. Set aside to cool completley.

Reduce oven temp to 160C. Place the sugar, maple syrup, butter, eggs and cream in abowl and whisk to combine. Stir thru the pecans. Pour mix into tart shell and bake for 35mins until filling is set. Cool before serving.

NOW, here are my variations.

Bugger making pastry in 38C heat. Buy a pre-fab one from your local bakery. Don't bother brown baking the pecans, you can buy them pre-roasted. Just as good. I didn't have pouring cream, so I used thickened cream. Worked a treat (except, unbeknownst to me, thickened cream isn't vegetarian, so Lima bean's g/f, The Gnat couldn't partake. As much as I love her, that just meant more for me. )



Before.



gratuitous action shot of Lima Bean whisking



after.