Instead of simply improving upon classic pecan pie, we decided to develop the pecan pie of our dreams. We passed on the traditional crust and gloopy, syrupy filling. Think: brown-butter sea salt shortbread filled with decadent double cream, topped with plenty of lightly-candied pecans.
An ingredient note here: Double cream, or clotted cream, is more decadent (richer, higher fat content) than regular whipped cream and far more stable in this recipe than whipped cream would be. If you use regular whipped cream, it’s best if your crowd eats the whole pie in one sitting since the cream will lose its air after about three hours. Devon of England, sold in jars in many gourmet shops in our region as Devon Cream, is my go-to, but you can order double cream online. You might even find double cream at a great local farm, if you’re lucky.
— Faith Middleton
- 8 tablespoons butter at room temperature
- 6 tablespoons sugar
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons lemon zest (from one lemon)
- 2 cups flour
- 2 egg yolks large
- 2 cups pecans whole, large
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 3 tablespoons light brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 1/2 cups clotted cream (or double cream)
- 1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar (or to taste)
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In a large mixing bowl add 6 tablespoons of the butter (reserving 2 tablespoons for making brown butter) the sugar, salt, lemon zest, flour and egg yolks.
- Heat a small pan over high heat for 1 minute, add the reserved 2 tablespoons of butter and cook until the butter turns a rich brown color and develops a nutty aroma. Add the brown butter to the bowl and mix together until you have a crumbly dough.
- Now, take a pie dish or tart pan and press the dough on to the bottom and up the side so you have an even cookie crust. Place in the preheated oven and bake for about 25 minutes or until light browned. Remove from oven a let cool completely.
- Place the butter, sugar, and salt in a medium-sized sauce pan and place over medium-high heat. Cook until butter and sugar are melted. Add the nuts and lower the heat to medium- low. Cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from pan onto a lined sheet pan and let cool fully. Break apart any nuts that may have stuck together and set aside.
- Once the shortbread and candied pecans are completely cool, fill the shortbread crust with cream and top with the pecans.
Oh, and if you're a chocolate-lover, I recommend serving it on the side, not in the recipe, where it competes with the seductive salty-sweet rhythm in the brown-butter shortbread. A plate of truffles on the table is always a good way to go.
It really looks like there is a thin layer of chocolate on top of the crust, between the crust and the cream filling. Are you holding out on us? 🙂 that looks really good. I know you said serve the chocolate on the side if you wanted to add chocolate but…….mmmmm. So…is there chocolate in the picture?
Thanks!
Morgan, I think I must make you part of my detective agency. Yes, you clever devil, we brushed the top of the shortbread with semi-sweet chocolate at my suggestion. Half of our team loved it, the other half (me!) thought it competed with the salty-sweet pivot. I felt the answer was to serve chocolate on the side. Feel free to make this recipe YOURS by adjusting it to suit your taste, bearing in mind that means you’ll have to make it several times…Cheers, Faith
Faith,
Does this new show mean you won’t be having the book show anymore?
I loved that show! It was the best!
Aha, Mary! Excellent question and I’m delighted to tell you that I’m going to have authors on the Food Schmooze, too. We’ll chat with them about their food and drink interests, then hear about the author’s new book. Also, some of my book buddies will rotate in to do the same and give you 2 or 3 recommendations on great reads. That’s coming soon! Please visit here any time or drop in to say hello on Facebook at Faith Middleton Food Schmooze.
Cheers,
Faith
I’m looking forward to future presentation on my iPad…..Thank you. !
Janice, great to hear from you. I love the idea that we’re on your iPad. Happy Thanksgiving! Cheers, Faith
I’m going to try this crust for a cheese cake, loved the show, salivating all the way home!
Peter, you have to let us know how it comes out! Cheers and Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours…Faith
Hi Faith, thanks for waiting for my reply. This was a great cheesecake crust, everyone loved it, but, by my own admission, I forgot about the fact that this was a salty recipe, intended to go with the very sweet filling from the original recipe, and boy did you taste it! Totally my own fault, but loved it, and I’m using it again for a cookie swap soon, great as shortbread cookies coated one side with Sharfen Berger Dark chocolate. How do I know this? Because I liked this shortbread so much I made an extra batch as cookies for me ! Merry Christmas! Best wishes to you and yours this holiday!
Peter, you devil, you’ve made me impossibly hungry! I started picturing your shortbread and the slick of chocolate and the salt…possibly I just need a dinner break and a glass of wine. Merry Christmas to you and yours! Faith
I made the pie for Thanksgiving and it was a huge success. Made it with clotted cream and while it was wonderful to eat, afterwards the feeling that I’d just eaten the better part of a stick of butter left me feeling guilty. I’m looking forward to trying it with double cream for Christmas.
We’re so glad you enjoyed it! Shortbread is butter-laden, which is why it’s so good. You didn’t consume the entire pie, so butter in your slices only. Double cream is very much like clotted cream. I’ll be interested to know if the taste is different for you. Enjoy!
Cheers, Faith
I have never worked with double or clotted cream. Do you whip it for the filling or just mix it?
If you’re making your own (I found an easy-enough recipe for double cream in The Washington Post) you will whip it. If you find a jar at a gourmet shop, best to follow the directions on the jar.
Here’s a good recipe for homemade clotted cream, very easy.
https://www.curiouscuisiniere.com/clotted-cream/