This textural, gooey pecan pie is decadent and sweet but beautifully balanced with salty notes. I’ve added some extra salt to the crust, as well as the filling, and have incorporated salted pretzels for extra crunch and some captivating savoury notes. This delicious pie is an excellent pairing partner for De Krans’s Cape Tawny, a heavenly coppery aged wine made from three Portuguese varietals: Tinta Barocca, Tinta Amarella and Touriga Nacional. The wine is blended from a range of different vintages between five and 15 years and has intense nutty toffee and caramel notes.
For the crust
175 g (1¼ cup) cake flour
10 ml (2 tsp) white sugar
2,5 ml (½ tsp) salt
125 g cold butter, cubed
5 ml (1 tsp) lemon juice or white vinegar
60 ml (4 Tbsp) ice cold water
1 egg, whisked (for brushing)
some salt flakes, for sprinkling (optional)
For the filling
¾ cup light brown sugar
3 XL eggs
45 ml butter, melted
5 ml vanilla
2,5 ml (½ tsp) salt
½ cup (115 g) traditional syrup or golden syrup
200 g pecan nut halves
150 g salted pretzels
some salt flakes, for sprinkling (optional)
Method:
Prepare the crust: In the bowl of a food processor, add the flour, sugar, salt and process briefly to mix. Add the butter and pulse a few times to mix, then add the lemon juice and water and process until the mixture clumps together in a ball. Remove from the bowl, flatten into a disc shape, cover with plastic and leave to rest in the fridge for 30 min.
Spray a 24-25 cm deep pie dish with non-stick. baking spray or brush with melted butter. On a working surface dusted with flour, roll out the dough until slightly bigger than your dish, then carefully line the dish with the pastry, trimming the sides and crimping the edges (or use a fork to score the edges). Refrigerate while you make the filling.
Prepare the filling: Preheat the oven to 170 C. In a large mixing bowl, add the brown sugar, eggs, butter, vanilla and salt, and mix with a hand whisk until creamy. Add the syrup in a stream while whisking. Add the nuts. Crush the pretzels into the mixture using your hands (you want chunky bits, not crumbs), keeping aside a few whole ones for the top. Stir to mix, then pour the filling into the prepared pastry dish. Smooth the top and arrange some whole pretzels on the surface. Turn some of the nuts over to display their best sides. Bake in the centre of the oven for 40-45 minutes until golden brown. Leave to cool to room temperature before slicing and serving. Store in the refrigerator, covered, for up to 5 days.
This recipe was created in proud collaboration with De Krans Wines.
