pecan pie

Pumpkin is a vegetable (well technically a fruit, but never mind that) and therefore pumpkin pie is very nearly a salad. That's why Thanksgiving needs another pie, a pie that is definitely not a salad. It needs a sugar pie. Sugar pies are the ones with gooey, caramel-y, custardy filling. They might have nuts, like pecan pie, or raisins like buttertarts, or sometimes they are fairly unadorned, like a chess pie. I love sugar pies, of all types, with and without fillings and topping. They are jiggly and sweet and rich, and just what you need after a huge meal of turkey, stuffing and lots of potatoes. Happy Thanksgiving!

crust: 

adapted from Bon Appetit. Makes twice as much as you need, tightly wrap the unused portion and freeze it for another pie later. 

• ⅓ cup almond flour

• ¼ cup granulated sugar

• 1 big pinch salt

• 2½ cups all-purpose flour

• 1 cup chilled butter, cut into pieces (my butter was not chilled, doesn't seem to matter too much)

• 2 large egg yolks

• 1/4 cup cold water

Combine almond flour, granulated sugar, salt, all-purpose flour and butter in a food processor and pulse until mixture is just combined and has a sandy texture. Combine egg yolks and water and drizzle them over the flour mixture. Pulse until just combined. Add a few drops more water if the dough isn't coming together. 

Dump the dough out onto a large sheet of plastic wrap and squish it into a rectangle. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and chill for at least two hours.  Roll out chilled dough to about 1/8th inch thick. Transfer to a pie plate and trim excess from around the edges. Crimp edges and put in the freezer until the filling is ready. 

filling: 

adapted from Martha Stewart

• 2 cups pecan halves

• 4 eggs

• 1/4 cup granulated sugar

• 1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar

• 1 cup golden syrup (use dark corn syrup if you like, but golden syrup is nicer)

• 1/2 cup light corn syrup

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled

• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Combine all filling ingredients and stir well until evenly mixed. Pour into chilled crust and bake at 350 degrees, about 50 minutes, or until the center just slightly wobbles when shaken, but the edges are set.

pumpkin pie with candied pecans

It's nearly Thanksgiving! At least in Canada it is, I know American Thanksgiving is still a ways off. And in most of the rest of the world, it's not really a thing at all. But whether or not this is a tradition for you, I would highly recommend adopting the meal part of Thanksgiving. It's a great meal, one of my favorite meals of the year. For my family, it's always turkey, which is nice enough, but the real greatness of Thanksgiving is the sides. Turkey itself doesn't really inspire any especially fervent passion in me, the best reason to have turkey is that it allows for stuffing (let's not get into the whole stuffing vs dressing issue-dressing is clearly the liquid you put on a salad). Stuffing is one of the best foods there ever was, and is possibly the star of the entire dinner. 

Except maybe the pies. The only possible rivals to the Thanksgiving glory that is stuffing is the pie. We always have pumpkin and pecan (recipe coming soon!) because I'm not into choosing. Obviously pumpkin pie is THE Thanksgiving pie, but pecan pie is a perfect compliment for it. And because you really can't have too many pecans, this pumpkin pie sneaks some spiced and candied pecans into the crust and decorating the top. The graham crumb crust is easy and quick, and you don't have to deal with pastry at all. Other than the graham crust, this is a pretty traditional pumpkin pie, smooth and nicely spicy and tastes like Autumn. It's also excellent the next day for breakfast with a side of leftover stuffing, if you are lucky enough to have any leftovers. 

adapted from Williams Sonoma

candied pecans:

• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1 1/2 cups pecan halves

Heat oven to 350°. In a colander, rinse the pecans with cold water. Shake to remove excess water. Toss the nuts in a bowl with sugar and spices. Spread the coated nuts onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for about 20-25 minutes, until the sugar has crystallized. Check on them frequently to check for doneness, they can burn quickly. Cool and store in an airtight container up to 2 days. 

crust:

• 3/4 cup candied pecans
• 1 cup graham
   cracker crumbs
• 1/2 cup melted butter

Combine pecans and crumbs in a food processor, blitz until nuts are finely ground. Add butter and mix until combined. Press the crust into a pie plate. Set aside. 

filling:

• 1 can (15 oz.) pumpkin puree
• 3 eggs
• 3/4 cup heavy/whipping cream
• 2/3 cup  brown sugar
• 1 tbs cornstarch
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp ginger
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp cloves
• 2 tsp vanilla extract 

Heat oven to 325°. Combine all ingredients in a medium mixing bowl and stir until well combined and smooth. Pour into prepared crust and bake 50-60 minutes, until the pie just just the slightest wobble in the center when you jiggle it, but it set around the edges. Cool pie and place candied pecans around the edge. Serve with whipped cream or ice cream. 

Photos: Tyrel Hiebert