This season I finally had a chance to scratch one off of my Bucket List. I’ve always wanted to visit New England in the fall. I had always heard that the changing of the leaves is spectacular, and I wanted to be there during the peak week. (Me and everyone else on the planet, I discovered!) While our Sonoran Desert holds its own beauty, brilliant red, yellow and orange leaves are pretty scarce. My trip to Woodstock, Vermont was worth the trip, and while there, I wanted to immerse myself in the New England food scene. That brings me to maple syrup. I couldn’t get enough of it, whether it was on my breakfast pancakes, a delicious ham slathered in a Vermont maple glaze or those iconic maple leaf-shaped candies. I came home with plenty of bottles of syrup which came in handy for this scrumptious holiday Maple Pecan Pie. This time of the year, while pumpkin pie is the go-to, pecan pie is right up there in popularity, and this version is definitely holiday worthy! It starts with a light and flakey crust, the perfect bed for a sweet, nutty and maple syrupy filling. So just in case searching for perfect holiday pies is on your bucket list, this one will not disappoint!
Servings |
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoons salt
- 6 tablespoons butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
- 3 tablespoons Crisco shortening, cut into small pieces
- 3 tablespoons ice water
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 cup maple syrup
- 3 tablespoons butter, melted
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups pecan halves
- whipped cream (optional)
- whipped cream optional
Ingredients For the Dough (Makes 9-Inch Pie Crust):
For the Filling:
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- Make the dough. In a food processor, blend together the flour, sugar and salt. Add butter and shortening and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal. Drizzle water and vinegar over mixture. Process just until moist clumps form adding more water, a little at a time, if dough is too dry. Form into a ball, cover in plastic wrap and chill for one hour. When dough has chilled, preheat oven to 375 degrees. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to a 1/8-in.-thick circle; transfer to a 9-in. pie plate. Trim crust to 1/2 in. beyond rim of plate; flute edge. Refrigerate while preparing filling. In a bowl, whisk together the eggs and sugar until smooth. Add maple syrup, butter, vanilla, salt and pecans. Pour into crust. Bake until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean, 30-40 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for 1 hour. If desired, top with whipped cream to serve. Refrigerate until ready to serve.