Bourbon Pecan Pie

Thanksgiving is not complete without pecan pie, but why limit yourself to only enjoying it once a year? This pie is a super simple; one bowl, quick to mix up, and perfect to make in advance. The bourbon adds an extra depth to this pie and compliments the nuts while balancing out the sweetness of the sugars. Use it to impress your guests at a dinner party or bring it along to a get together. We can say from experience that this pie always goes over a treat and is anticipated more than anything else in the meal. In fact you may even want to make two as one never seems to be enough.

Pecan Pie

You will need the following ingredients:

• 4 large eggs (plus 1 for egg wash)

• 1 cup packed brown sugar

• 3/4 cup golden syrup

• 5 tablespoons of slightly salted butter, melted

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

• 3 tablespoons of bourbon

• 2 cups of halved pecans

• Short crust pastry

• extra butter (for greasing pan)

And the following equipment:

• Mixing bowl

• Whisk

• Wooden spoon

• Measuring spoons

• Measuring cups

• Pie tin

• Fork or item to prick crust

• Baking tray

Ok, now let’s get cooking!

Blind bake your pie crust. (You can choose to skip this step if you are in a hurry. I have done this many times and not noticed any issues)

• Preheat your oven to 215 degrees Celsius.

• Grease the pie tin with a small amount of butter.

• Roll out short crust pastry (ready rolled works great here) and put the pastry into your pie tin.

• Trim the crust leaving some excess, remember that it may shrink during the blind bake, and let rest in a cool place for about 15 minutes.

• Prick the bottom of the pie crust generously.

• Line the crust with baking paper or foil and fill with baking beans, pie weights, or rice.

• Bake for 10-15 minutes, then remove the weight and bake for another 5 minutes.

• Let the crust cool to room temperature and let oven cool as well as the pie will cook at a lower temp.

• While crust is cooling, cut out decorations from the leftover dough. I like leaves as they are easy to freehand with a paring knife.

Time for pie!

• Preheat your oven to 190 degrees Celsius.

• Melt 5 tablespoons of butter and let cool slightly.

• Crack eggs into mixing bowl and whisk gently.

• Add 1 cup of packed brown sugar to the eggs and combine.

• Add 3/4 cup golden syrup and 5 tablespoons of melted butter. Tip: use the melted butter to grease the measuring cup for the golden syrup to make it easier to pour.

• Mix in 1/2 teaspoon salt.

• Add 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla.

• Now for the best part, add 3 tablespoons of Kentucky bourbon.

• Make sure everything is well mixed and you do not have any lumps from the sugar.

• Switch to the wooden spoon and mix in the 2 cups of pecans. If you prefer you can crush the pecans, but we like the halves for appearance and crunch.

• Make sure all the pecans are coated with the liquid mix.

• Place pie tin with crust onto a baking tray, in case pie over flows and to make it easier to put the pie into the oven.

• Slowly pour the mix into your pie crust. Careful not to overfill as it will bubble up during cooking.

• Make an egg wash with one beaten egg and a splash of cold water.

• Add the pastry decoration, using egg wash as glue and then brush with egg wash for colour.

• Bake the pie for 30-45 minutes until the centre has a gelatin like wobble to it.

• If the crust is browning too quickly, wrap it with some foil for protection.

• Once your pecan pie is cooked, set it aside to let it cool.

As mentioned before, this can be made the night before. It can be stored in the refrigerator for up to two days. The pecan pie is best served it at room temperature and with a dollop of whipped cream. Word of warning, you will want to eat this all the time. There us no shame in having a slice for breakfast. Enjoy!