Janna Traver, Executive Chef of KU Dining Services is providing us with one of her specialty Thanksgiving desserts! Traver's Pecan Pie recipe is modified from The Pie and Pastry Bible by Rose
Levy Beranbaum and is described as her "favorite pecan pie" (It is actually a tart so the crust to filling
ratio is higher, and a bit less guilt ridden). This pie has a pretty good story to it and we felt like there was no one that could tell it better than Traver herself. Keep reading to find out!
Pecan pie became my responsibility when I was an undergrad
at KU. My Great Aunt had always made perfect pecan pies, but she passed away
without sharing the recipe. After many years, post culinary school, I ran
across Beranbaum’s book and bought it specifically for the crust listed below.
I have altered the original to yield a bit more crust and to allow for a
decorative crust. I have never
replicated Aunt Jeannette’s pie but this one has become a favorite at
Thanksgiving.
-Janna Traver, Executive Chef of KU Dining
Ingredients for Crust:
9Tbsp butter,
salted, chilled
1½C all-purpose
flour
¼tsp baking
powder
3oz Philly cream cheese, chilled
3-4Tbsp ice water
2tsp cider vinegar
Instructions:
*Chill all ingredients and equipment for 30
minutes prior to assembly. This helps create a flaky crust as you don’t want
the butter to completely blend (or cream) into the flour mixture.
In a Food processor- Place dry ingredients into food processor bowl with metal
blade attachment. Dice the cream cheese into 6-7 pcs, place in bowl with dry
ingredients.
Pulse mixture 3-4 times until mixture looks like coarse sand
Cube the butter into 1 tbsp chunks, add to bowl
Pulse mixture 2-3 times to break the butter into pieces the
size of peas Remove lid and drizzle in cider vinegar (malt or white will
also work)
For the ice water, place 4 tbsp of water in a glass with a
few pieces of ice
Replace the lid and run the processor while drizzling in the
ice water, be careful not to add any ice cubes. The flour will start to form a
ball. Stop the processor even if you have not used all the water. (The amount
of water will vary depending on humidity levels, product freshness among other
factors)
Turn dough onto a lightly floured board or clean table top.
Working quickly, use the palms of your hands to form the dough into a ball.
Flatten into a disk and wrap with plastic wrap.
Chill dough for a minimum of 2
hours prior to working.
Ingredients for Pecan Pie filling:
1½C Rough chopped pecans (best if chopped by
hand the commercial
product is diced to finely)
4 each egg yolks
1/3C dark corn syrup
½C dark brown sugar
4Tbs salted butter
1/4C heavy cream
2tsp vanilla extract
1Tbs bourbon* (optional, if using bourbon
cut back 1 Tbsp cream)
Instructions:
Preheat oven to
350
Roll out dough
to ½ cm and place in 91/2 inch fluted tart pan, trim off
excess. (Save excess
dough for decorations later)
“Blind bake” crust, place foil or parchment paper over pie crust and fill with
rice or
beans, bake crust at 350 for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.
While crust
is baking, make filling.
In a medium sauce pan combine eggs, syrup, brown sugar,
butter, and cream. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, for about 7-10
minutes or until mixture starts to thicken slightly. Do not bring to a boil or
your eggs will scrambled eggs in sugar, yuck! At this point you can strain your
mixture, but it is not mandatory. Add in vanilla (bourbon) and the nuts. Pour
mixture into cooked crust.
Roll our reserved dough and cut into leaf shapes, or any
shape desired and place around outer edge of tart. Keep shapes smaller than a
silver dollar or they may sink into the tart. Lightly brush the leaves with
heavy cream. This will make them shinny when baked.
Bake pie on middle oven shelf for 20 minutes or until the
filling puffs slightly and bubbles form around the edge. Cool pie for at least
1 hour or overnight in a cool spot, not the refrigerator or the pie will become
soggy. I serve this with fresh whipped cream flavored with maple syrup and
vanilla.
Stay tuned for more KU Dining holiday recipes through the rest of the semester! Try them out, snap a picture, tag KU Dining Services on Facebook and let us know what you think!
