It’s official – I am starting to warm up to Thanksgiving. Every food magazine is full of tips and tricks, sides and suggestions. To brine or not to brine – you name it, it’s in print and it’s been blogged about. I just have to join in, I cannot ignore it any longer.
I love Thanksgiving. It is the one occasion in America that absolutely everyone can celebrate, regardless of religion, race and any other thing that may be used to define a person and their background. On top of that – it’s good for everyone to be thankful, right?
So onto this recipe. I am no pecan pie connoisseur, in fact I have never made one but this particular slice tastes incredibly similar. So I thought it might be a nice alternative to the traditonal pecan pie which is likely to take pride of place on your Thanksgiving dessert buffet.
It has a nice crisp shortbread base that balances out the most amazing, gooey caramel topping. The pecans add a really nice crunch and all together it is pure heaven. In fact, this slice is so good that it had Mr Man milling around the kitchen for a good couple of hours, knife in hand. Each time I looked up he was cutting himself a little extra sliver from the baking pan, and then a little more to even up the cut (Virgo!). Thank goodness I managed to take a few shots before he almost finished it off.
Thanksgiving or not – you don’t need a reason to bake this. You might want to have a few people around though because before you know it, it will be all gone and you may have a little achey tummy to deal with.
base
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
170 grams/6 ounces cold unsalted butter, chilled and cut into cubes
1/4 cup ice water
1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar
topping
170 grams/6 ounces salted butter
1 1/4 cups light brown sugar
1/2 cup honey
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup heavy cream
453 grams/1 pound pecan halves (toasted)
Preheat the oven to 176c/350f. Scatter the pecan halves onto a cookie sheet and bake for 5-8 minutes or until they just begin to get aromatic. Keep a close watch on them because they can burn very fast once they become fragrant.
In a food processor, pulse the flour with the sugar and salt. Add the cubed butter and process until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Sprinkle on the ice water and vinegar and process until the crumbs are evenly moistened. Turn the crumbs out onto a sheet of wax paper and knead just until the dough comes together. Pat the dough into a disk, wrap in plastic and refrigerate until slightly chilled, about 15 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 190c/375f. Line the bottom of a 9 x 13 inch metal baking pan with parchment paper. Roll out the dough between 2 sheets of wax paper to a 9 x 13 inch rectangle (1/4 inch thick) and place it in the baking pan, push the dough a little up the sides so there is a slight rim. Refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes.
Line the dough with parchment paper and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake for about 25 minutes, until the dough is just set. Remove the parchment paper and weights and bake the crust for about 10 minutes longer, until lightly golden and set. Let cool.
In a large saucepan, combine the butter, brown sugar, honey and salt and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until foamy and slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. Add the cream and cook, stirring occasionally, until a candy thermometer inserted in the caramel registers 240° (soft ball stage), about 10 minutes longer.
Add the pecans and cook for 2 minutes longer. Pour the filling over the crust, spreading it evenly. Bake for about 15 minutes, until the crust is golden and the topping is bubbling. Let cool completely. Slide the parchment onto a cutting board. Cut into bars and serve.
Makes about 16 bars.
Notes: The rim on the base is to hold the caramel which may overflow a little.
Source: adapted from Food & Wine Magazine
© 2010, Michelle. All rights reserved.
