"Pecan pie, without corn syrup"

By RoketJSquerl

The recipe, which I found on a pastry chef's blog, is extremely simple (basically just eggs, brown sugar, water, and butter, plus seasonings); the result is more custardy than gooey, and in the absence of the cloying corn syrup, the pecans are allowed to shine.

You can easily make your pie dough, roll it out and line your pie shells and then freeze for up to a week or two. Similar like the ones you would buy in the freezer section of your grocery store. Take out the freezer the day when needed and make the filling. If you like the flavor of toasted pecans, place the pecans in a 350°F (175°C) oven until they are fragrant. Time will depend on the size of the pecan pieces.

Ingredients

• 3 (3) Large eggs 3
• 3/4 Cup (6 oz) Water 180 g
• 1 3/4 Cup, well packed (14 oz) Medium brown sugar 420 g
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt 2.5 g
• 1/2 Stick (2 oz) Unsalted butter 60g
• 1 Tablespoon (0.5 oz) Brandy or Rum (optional) 15 ml
• 2 teaspoon (2 tsp) Vanilla extract 10 ml
• 2 Cups (8 oz) Pecan pieces 240 g

Details

Servings 1
Adapted from eddyvandammeusa.com

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
Whisk together the eggs and water until very well blended. Add the brown sugar and salt. Melt the butter and add to the mixture. Add the Brandy and vanilla extract.
Place the pecans in the pie shell and pour the custard filling over the pecans, the pecans will automatically float to the surface. Since nine inch pie shells vary in depth and thus volume, not all the custard filling may fit. By not mixing the pecans into the custard filling you will possibly prevent throwing away extra custard filling containing pecans.
Place in the preheated oven for 10 minutes. Then reduce the temperature to 325°F (160°C) and bake until the center of the pie is set and no longer trembles when touched, about 65 minutes.