The Pecan Pie Topic

[butterscotch]

Okay, it is FINALLY in the oven.

I settled on a hybrid recipe based on the brown butter one on pg 1 of this thread.

but since I was concerned my brown sugar was a bit hard and dry and couldn't get together 2 cups to pack, I added some Lyles (maybe 2oz)) and a bit more tha a TB of molasses.

Well the brown sugar melted well although a good deal of the butter stayed separate , I tempered the eggs using that butter,and they combined smoothly.

As someone suggested I used a combo of vanilla AND bourbon.

In the meantime I ruined one Dufour's pate brisse crust- It shrank and the bottom made a disk while the sides came apart as a cylinder. I followed their directions to the letter and it came out very shrunken and uneven....so - I decided to do a shorter (6 minutes) par bake on my extra crust and at first when i took it out, it started to stick to the top layer of pie pan (they come sandwiched between two foil pans which you keep on it to parbake) Then I realized the crust is 8" and the recipe- and the pie crust shield I have are for 9" pies.

So I eyeballed it, filled it to within 3/8- 1/2" of the edge of the pie pan, and used a safety pin to shorten the silicone shield Whew! And I'm guessing 1/2 hour in stead of 40 min now....

Now I'm going to use the discarded bits of crust #1 layered with leftover filling and nuts and make a few in pyrex ramekins. I will mix in a few walnuts as someone else upthread suggested, and see how that goes. I figure, I have to do something with this filling.

My first pie should be out of the oven in about 15 minutes, and it's smelling very good already!

I will try and get some pics to post for you all.

Thanks so much for all the ideas!

Edited December 25, 2006 by butterscotch (log)

[butterscotch]

Mine is just cooling now, but I believe I can answer you this- I parbaked just 6-7 minutes- just enough to dry out the dough, not give it any color, and it's burnt after just a half hour. I think this filling gets super extra hot, maybe it's the sugar in the crust too?

The pie itself looks great, and I was thinking, like you, and the directions from Dufours that I could parbake just a little bit, , but this crust is burnt. Burnt butter crust and burnt butter pecan pie. At least it's thematic. :shrug:

For those who have tried making this pie: Any reason not to use a pie crust that has been partially baked before filling? I almost never make a pie that doesn't have the crust at least partially blind baked before filling. I assume that would be fine here, but thought I'd inquire of those who have already baked this pie.

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[fawn]

I noticed that some recipe calls for corn syrup while others are brown/gran sugar.

What diff does it make to the pecan pie?

[K8memphis]

Umm, the corn syrup helps the pie set up & be that liquidish forkable substance that the pecans hover over ethereally. The recipe should have both sugars in there, the corn syrup and the brown sugar.

The only recipe I have that omits the corn syrup is one for pecan sassies/tassies, the little mini ones. The eggs in that one sets it up.

[BarbaraY]

I have seen Pecan Pies crystalize and think it's because they didn't heve enough corn syrup.

Some recipes call for white corn syrup and some for dark, which I prefer. Don't think I've ever seen one with just brown sugar.

I don't want a bunch of things added to my pecan pie; no chocolate chips, dry cherries, etc. Just plain pecanny goodness.

[Okbrewer]

I have seen Pecan Pies crystalize and think it's because they didn't heve enough corn syrup.

Some recipes call for white corn syrup and some for dark, which I prefer. Don't think I've ever seen one with just brown sugar.

I don't want a bunch of things added to my pecan pie; no chocolate chips, dry cherries, etc. Just plain pecanny goodness.

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And Bourbon! Gotta have a lil bit of bourbon in my pecan pie!

Bob R in OKC

[hummingbirdkiss]

I agree pecan pies do not stay that sticky smooth texture if you dont use the corn syrup ...and bourbon sounds great ... I always use rum in mine ...just a little with some vanilla bean scrapings ...

I did not have enough corn syrup one time so I used half corn syrup and half molasses that was good I thought ...maybe strong for some people but I liked it!!!

I have also used maple syrup and walnuts ..but then it was not a pecan pie so what am I talking about?

Edited April 2, 2007 by hummingbirdkiss (log)

[ludja]

Much probably depends on what one grew up with but as someone who did not grow up with pecan pie I really prefer the non-corn syrup versions. I make a recipe with just brown sugar, butter, eggs (and Bourbon) in addition to the pecans. I like the dense brown sugar filling rather than a corn syrup goo.

If you search for "pecan" in thread titles you'll find lots of good discussions on pecan pie on the forums.

Here's one: The Pecan Pie Thread

This thread in the Southern Culture forum is excellent as well: What makes a pecan pie Southern?

From this thread I learned about the tradition from some part's of the deep South to use Steen’s Cane Syrup. I'd really like to try a pie with this--especially after I just tasted a Mexican Coke made with cane syrup instead of the corn syrup now used (since the early 80's) in US regular coke. I am not a fan of the cloying sweetness of corn syrup.

By the way, welcome to posting on the eGullet forums, fawn!

[fawn]

Thanks for the feedbacks and that warm welcome

I havn't tasted pecan pie in my entire life. But i will be making this because i have a friend who loves pecan pie. I'm gonna surprise him.

But do u think the majority loves pie with only

1 brown sugar or

2 pie with cornsyrup+ sugar

[SusanGiff]

Corn syrup, corn syrup, corn syrup!

[slkinsey]

For pecan pie, Steen's cane syrup can't be beat, in my opinion.

[K8memphis]

For a traditional classic pecan pie SusanGiff is right.

Other syrups will make a great pie but for the classic you need plain old corn syrup I think. Or any plain old syrup. I don't think I've ever tried Steen's Cane Syrup. So long as it's not maple syrup or molasses or honey or anything with a flavor to it. Just whatever tooth achingly sweet syrup you got without any additional flavor to it. Sweet goo.

Well and yeah you gotta add the brown sugar & stuff...

Edited April 3, 2007 by K8memphis (log)

[lovebenton0]

Thanks for the feedbacks and that warm welcome

I havn't tasted pecan pie in my entire life. But i will be making this because i have a friend who loves pecan pie.  I'm gonna surprise him. 

But do u think the majority loves pie with only

1 brown sugar or

2 pie with cornsyrup+ sugar

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for the majority of folks, since i'm assuming you don't know if your friend has special favs for pecan pie, i'd have to go with [2] corn syrup and brown sugar. i make mine with both and they are always stand up smooth, not soft, gooey or liquidy.

ooops... edited for typo.

Edited April 3, 2007 by lovebenton0 (log)

[ludja]

Well, to each his own, but I definately like the non-corn syrup versions much better. I make a recipe from Bill Neal's "Biscuits, Cornbread and Sweet Potato Pie" and also another recipe for "Old Fashioned Southern Pecan Pie" from "The New Doubleday Cookbook". One uses all brown sugar (and eggs, vanilla, salt, milk and butter); the other uses a little white sugar also and adds some boubon. PM me if you want the recipe.

Here's a quote from Mark Bittman in a wikipedia article: click

There is no doubt that the makers of Karo syrup popularized the dish, and many recipes—even one ascribed to a well-known New Orleans restaurant—specify Karo syrup by name as an ingredient. This suggests a prosaic 20th-century origin in Karo promotion, and in fact the maker's website currently credits the dish as a 1930s "discovery" of a "new use for corn syrup" by a corporate sales executive's wife. The company asserts that "Down South, today, that same recipe continues to be called Karo Pie" but in fact this name for the dish seems to be rare.

Although the standard recipes call for corn syrup, cookbook author Mark Bittman comments "There are two kinds of pecan pie, one of which contains not only sugar but corn syrup. I don't like this version—not only is it too sweet, if you taste corn syrup by itself you'll never cook with it again." The version he favors uses white and brown sugar, no corn syrup, and "thickens the sugar with eggs—in other words, it's a custard pie, loaded with pecans."

Jim Turner of Glencoe, Alabama developed the recipe for making pecan pies with sorghum syrup. These pies are considered by some individuals to be of a higher quality than the ones made with corn syrup."

edited to add: That being said, there is a lot of variation in the corn syrup versions as well. As lovebento mentioned, some versions also use brown sugar instead of primarily corn syrup and these will be somewhere inbetween the "corn syrup goo type" that I really object to and the brown sugar/egg versions I prefer.

At some time you'll probably want to try both to see which you (and he) likes better!

Edited April 4, 2007 by ludja (log)

[phlawless]

yes! yes! to sorghum! If you can get a hold of it, it is a FAR superior substitute to corn syrup. If not, you should try Lyle's golden syrup...I think it's pure cane like Steen's. You could also make a really viscous simple syrup (sugar + water); I don't know the proportions off hand, however. Anything is better than corn syrup.

[phaelon56]

I make mine with cornsyrup, brown sugar and also some maple syrup in place of a portion of the corn syrup. Yum.

[shaloop]

I grew up with the traditional southern corn syrup goo pecan pie and never liked it. I now exchange the amounts for brown sugar and corn syrup, using two parts brown sugar to one part corn syrup and one part melted butter. (plus pecans and eggs). Sometimes I substitute maple syrup for the corn syrup.

[fawn]

thanks!

I'll make the cornsyrup recipe then

[fawn]

So i finally baked the pie, i choose the recipe with corn syrup and white sugar (plus i browned the butter). I use the lowest rack. And i think that it was a big mistake.. for my crust burnt!

Here's some photos i took

I'm not even sure if the pie is baked or not coz i havn't tried eating pecan pie before. Whenever i inserted a knife, it always came out wet ( but nothing clinging)

so i assumed its not baked yet. When i noticed that the crusts starts browning, i immediately transfer the pie in the middle rack and covered with foil. But still, my bottom crust is already burned. And i think the further baking time in the oven made it worst! LOL

I think i baked mine with an addition of 20min (original bake time is 45min)

Oh, and the taste... is it really a bit eggy? i mean.. the pecans rose on top (is that normal?) while the custard/sugary layer's at the bottom and it was a bit eggy... is that how a pecan should taste?

[K8memphis]

Aww that's a shame it burned! Umm, for glass pans usually you lower the oven temp by 25 degrees and I would have started on the middle rack. Umm, no it's not supposed to taste eggy necessarily. It should taste real sweet and the filling has a lot of body and is nubbly just like your picture and is smooth tasting. I think you just over baked a bit. Yes the pecans rise like that. Strange huh.

Yes the first time you inserted the knife and the filling did not adhere to the knife blade then you take it out of the oven. The eggs will continue to set as the pie cools.

You did good for your first attempt. It sure looks pretty.

[K8memphis]

And I'm not positive, but browning the butter unless your recipe said to might have caused the emulsion to produce the eggy-ness. I'm not sure. I've never browned the butter for a pie filling. But I'd try it regular next time if it was me.

[fawn]

thank for the reply, I did overcooked my pie. Oh well, there's always the 2nd time. But my family didn't like the pie that much... they think its too sweet

[K8memphis]

thank for the reply, I did overcooked my pie.  Oh well, there's always the 2nd time. But my family didn't like the pie that much... they think its too sweet

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It is too sweet. Kind of an acquired taste.

Try these.

[bluesman13]

thank for the reply, I did overcooked my pie.  Oh well, there's always the 2nd time. But my family didn't like the pie that much... they think its too sweet

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fawn,

what a truly sweet person oyou are to bake a pecan pie for someone because they like pecan pie!

[fawn]

^^ hehe thanks