The Pecan Pie Cooled Before Slicing

Set out unsalted butter, dark brown sugar packed, and kosher salt before you start The Pecan Pie Cooled Before Slicing. The batch is written for 12 people.

Count on 20 minutes of prep, 1 hour of cooking, about 1 hour from the first measurement to the plate.

Ingredients Method

What goes in the bowl

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 cup dark brown sugar packed
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• 3 whole eggs
• ¾ cup light corn syrup
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups pecans toasted and chopped coursely
• 1 Single Pie Crust store-bought or homemade

How the cooking goes

Par-bake Pie Crust

1. Warm the oven to 350°F convection or 375°F conventional. If using homemade pie dough, roll out one portion of pie dough on a lightly floured surface until about 1/8th inch thick. Chill 30 minutes flat on a sheet pan.
2. Place chilled dough on top of a 9 inch pie dish or tin. Allow to warm up just enough to be workable. Lift up the edges and allow it to settle on the bottom. Gently press the sides to fit the dish allowing the edges to overhang the dish. Start on one side and roll the edges under towards the dish. Roll until you reach the dish then gently press it down on the dish to seal. Repeat with the rest of the crust.
3. Flute the edges by pressing one knuckle on the outside and two knuckles around it from the inside of the crust. Chill for 10-30 minutes depending on how warm it got.
4. Line the inside of the chilled crust with parchment. Fill with pie weights, beans or rice. You find beans work best. Bake crust 15-20 minutes and then remove the weights and parchment. You remove the parchment and weights when the crust has just begun to brown and doesn’t look raw anymore. If you remove it too soon, the crust will still slide down the sides of the dish particularly if you are using a ceramic dish.

Prepare & bake pie filling

1. Reduce oven temperature to 275℉ once crust is baked.
2. In a medium, heat-proof bowl positioned over a simmering double boiler, melt the butter. Remove the bowl from the heat then stir in the sugar and salt until they are completely absorbed into the butter. It will look like an emulsified bread batter.
3. Beat in eggs, then the corn syrup and vanilla until the texture looks smooth.
4. Return the bowl to the double boiler then stir until a thermometer reads 130°F or the mixture is shiny and hot to the touch. Remove from the heat and stir in pecans. Remember that this step is optional. If you skip, pre-cooking the filling, then your final bake time will be closer to 1 ¼ hours.
5. Pour pecan mixture into the partially baked crust. Bake until the filling looks set but yields like Jell-O when gently pressed with the back of the spoon or your fingers.
6. Allow pie cool complete on a wire rack before cutting.

After it comes off the heat

Let the pan settle before you slice, so the crumb stays together. Cover leftovers once they are cool.

If you want another plate from Pies and tarts, open Peach Pie in a Pastry Shell and Buffalo Chicken Blue Cheese Hand Pies in a Pastry Shell.