Celebrate any sweet victory with this ooey-gooey, Southern classic reimagined by Andrew Zimmern.
It’s not the dessert you remember. Andrew’s concoction nests in a buttery pate brisée crust – easy to make, even for the pastry novice – and is topped with rum raisin ice cream. Don’t be surprised if you find yourself using backyard pick-up games as an excuse for whipping up a few of these addictive pies.
Pie ingredients:
1 pate brisée crust
2 cups pecan halves
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup dark corn syrup
2 eggs
2 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
1 tablespoon dark rum (optional)
1 teaspoon vanilla
Pie directions:
Heat oven to 425 degrees. Roll out crust to 11-inch circle; line a 9-inch tart pan with crust. Trim edges and line with foil or parchment. Partially bake crust by weighing with dried beans or pie weights; bake 12 to 14 minutes, or until set. Remove foil and weights; bake additional 3 to 4 minutes, or until crust appears dry. Remove and let cool on wire rack while preparing filling; sprinkle with pecan halves. Reduce oven temperature to 325.
Prepare filling by combining brown sugar, flour and salt in medium mixing bowl. Whisk in corn syrup, eggs, butter, rum and vanilla until blended. When oven has cooled to 325, place crust-lined tart pan on shallow 10-by-15-inch baking pan. Pour filling into tart pan; bake 30 to 25 minutes, or until just set. Remove and let cool.
Serve with rum raisin ice cream.
Pate brisée
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
7 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter
1 egg yolk
3 to 4 tablespoons ice water
Directions:
Mix flour and salt in mixing bowl. Cut butter into 1/2-inch cubes. Press butter chunks between fingertips and drop into center of bowl. Toss to coat. With fingertips, gradually work flour and butter until mixture resembles coarse meal.
Whisk egg yolk and 3 tablespoons water in small bowl to blend. Drizzle egg yolk mixture over flour mixture, tossing with a fork. Stir dough until mixture begins to come together; press together with hands to form a rough dough. Turn out onto cool counter and press together into mound (dough will not come together completely). Sprinkle with enough remaining water to reach good consistency if dough is very crumbly. With heel of hand, smear a small amount of dough away from you on counter. Scrape up and continue with remaining dough, mounding smeared dough together on counter. Press mound into disc, wrap in plastic and refrigerate 1 to 2 hours.
Enough for 10-inch tart.
