I usually plan menus in reverse. I start with what I want to make for dessert and then worry about the rest of the meal later. Since I was working around a Southern Barbecue theme for Bryan’s birthday, I knew I wanted a layer cake. I ended up making John Besh’s Père Roux’s Cake which was really good, but a little too sweet for me. It is a white layer cake filled with layers of a banana-rum-caramel and topped with cream cheese frosting, I have some ideas for adjustments on the cake and will likely share my version in the future. For those of you interested in giving it a try, the recipe is available here. If you have his beautiful cookbook, My New Orleans, note that there is a major error in the printed recipe. It calls for 3 tablespoons of baking powder! A version in Food & Wine calls for 1 tablespoon so I went with that. In addition to the cake, this was the perfect time for a pecan pie.
This recipe from Tartine is made with maple syrup (in honor of Bryan’s Canadian heritage) and the sweetness of the sugar custard is tempered by a healthy dose of bourbon and some thinly sliced kumquats. The resulting pie is a really wonderful riff on the classic. Not overly sweet or simple and perfect served warm with buttermilk ice cream.
One note on the Tartine cookbook, I am surprised to find that this is only the second recipe I have written about from that book. If you are into pastry and baking, the Tartine book is definitely a must have and one of my all-time favorite cookbooks. These recipes are the real deal.
Pecan Maple Pie with Kumquats and Bourbon (adapted from Tartine by Elisabeth Prueitt and Chad Robertson)
- Fully baked and cooled 1-inch pie shell (see recipe below)
- 3/4 cup (150g) Granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (155g) Maple Syrup
- 1/2 cup (165g) Light corn syrup
- 2 tablespoons bourbon
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 cup (55g) unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 2 cups (285g) pecan halves
- 1/3 cup (85g) kumquats, thinly sliced
Have the pie shell ready for filling.
In a saucepan, combine the sugar, maple syrup, corn syrup, bourbon and salt. Place over medium heat, bring to a rolling boil, and boil for 1 minute. Take the pan off of the heat, add the butter, and whisk as it melts. Let the mixture cool to room temperature. While the mixture is cooling, preheat the oven to 350° F.
Add the vanilla ad the eggs to the cooled mixture and stir to mix well. Stir in the pecans and kumquats. Pour into the pie shell.
Bake the pie until the filling is just set, 40 to 60 minutes. If the top is browning too quickly, cover with a piece of aluminum foil. Let cool on a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature, ideally with a scoop of buttermilk ice cream. The pie will keep in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. (ha!)
Flaky Tart Dough
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2/3 cup (150ml) water, very cold
- 3 cups plus 2 tablespoons (455g) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup + 5 tablespoons (300g) unsalted butter, very cold
In a small bowl, add the salt to the water and stir to dissolve. Keep very cold until ready to use. Put the flour in the bowl of a food processor. Cut the butter into 1-inch pieces and scatter the pieces over the flour. Pulse briefly until the mixture forms large crumbs and some of the butter is still in pieces the size of peas. Add the water-and-salt mixture and pulse for several seconds until the dough begins to come together into a ball but is not completely smooth. You should still be able to see some butter chunks.
On a lightly floured surface, divide the dough into 2 equal sized balls and shape each ball into a disk. 1-inch thick. Wrap well in plastic and chill for at least 2 hours or overnight.
On a lightly floured surface, roll one disk of dough into a circle about 1/8-inch thick. Cut out a 12-inch circle and place in 10-inch pie dish. Trim the dough so there is an even 1/2-inch overhang, fold the overhang under, and flute or crimp the edge. Chill the shell until firm to the touch, 30-45 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Line the pie shell with parchment and fill with pie weights. Bake the shell until the surface looks light brown, about 25 minutes; to check, lift a corner of the paper. Remove from the oven and remove the weights and paper. Return the shells to the oven and bake until golden brown, about 5-10 minutes longer.
Let the shell cool completely before filling.
SMITH BITES says:
April 30th, 2010 at 6:48 am
Seriously Tim, you are bad, bad, bad for my butt and my waistline! But I LOVE you – don’t worry, I know Brian has first dibs and I kinda have a major thing with my Professor. And I’m quite grateful that I’m a 4 hour drive to Chicago or I’d be parked on your doorstep (in a good way, not a stalker way!) Instead, I shall settle for making the wonderful recipes I find on this site! Have a great weekend!
Kirstin says:
April 30th, 2010 at 7:34 am
I just made a pecan pie too! Never thought to include some sort of citrus with it though, the kumquats sound like such a good idea.
Heather @ chik n pastry says:
April 30th, 2010 at 7:35 am
dang you are posting recipes that are seriously, right up my alley. i love pe-can pie (i always put the dash because people need to stress the first syllable, because in the south, that’s the right way and should be everywhere else ;) ) and cornbread and who knows what’s next! the kumquats seem like a great addition. what a great party!
Katie @ Haute Apple Pie says:
April 30th, 2010 at 7:49 am
yum…i loooove cooking with bourbon.
BethT says:
April 30th, 2010 at 8:05 am
I’m not a huge kumquat fan – they taste bitter to me. Are they sweeter here?
Also, Tartine is my mecca. There is nothing like a morning bun or a ham croissant the size of my head.
Tim says:
April 30th, 2010 at 8:15 am
Beth- what is not to like about kumquats? or bitter?! The kumquats are essentially candied here, so yes they are sweeter. You can substitute orange zest if you like. 1 tablespoon.
The French says:
April 30th, 2010 at 9:37 am
I love that you plan in reverse. Nice to know I’m not alone:)
This sounds amazing. I’m never blown away by plain pecan pie so giving it a twist like this sounds enticing. There’s no sub for corn syrup is there? For some reason it makes me want to hurl…but imagine I have to get over it.
Davin Youngs says:
April 30th, 2010 at 9:42 am
Sure you saw this, but thought I’d point it out.
http://chicago.grubstreet.com/2010/04/enter_the_sun_times_photo_cont.html
Sarah says:
April 30th, 2010 at 10:27 am
oh, sigh. i’m so, so fond of bourbon-y desserts, which is sort of funny because straight up or in a cocktail, i can’t stand the stuff.
Natalie says:
April 30th, 2010 at 10:42 am
I too am huge fan of the Tartine cookbook and bakery. I’m always so happy to see a recipe I have yet to try!
Joanne says:
April 30th, 2010 at 11:47 am
What a beautifully decadent pie. I would never have thought to put kumquats in it, but it sounds lovely.
gd_enough says:
April 30th, 2010 at 3:30 pm
My father has a kumquat tree in his back yard, and every spring we fight with the local scavengers (opossums, raccoons, squirrels, humans, etc.), too see who can consume more. I’ve never thought to look up recipes for them ’cause they are so good straight from the tree, and aside from a kumquat preserve that his neighbor makes, I have never seen them used in anything. But this recipe is saying all the right things to me. Let the romance begin!
Joe @ Eden Kitchen says:
May 1st, 2010 at 4:55 am
What a great looking pie! I tried maple pecan pie for the first time last year. it’s not a traditional food here in New Zealand but my friend made it for a dinner party. loved it. Thanks for the recipe!
Julie says:
May 1st, 2010 at 8:19 am
Maple pecan pie??? Thanks… I think!
Sivan Harlap says:
May 2nd, 2010 at 7:41 am
now that looks amazing! i can almost taste it!
cookiepie says:
May 3rd, 2010 at 8:19 am
Oooooh I love the idea of kumquats in pecan pie! I usually don’t love pecan pie because it’s too sweet — what a perfect way to cut the sweetness, and it looks beautiful too!
Nina A says:
May 3rd, 2010 at 11:20 am
Tim, if you’re ever looking for a Southernish layer cake, I highly recommend the Paul Prudhomme’s Roasted Pecan Cake or his cocunut cake. They can both be found in Paul Prudhomme’s Family Cookbook. Not too sweet, but showstopping and full of flavor. Also a great pecan pie with pecan butter.
Dawn (KitchenTravels) says:
May 3rd, 2010 at 3:39 pm
Pie crust is my nemesis, although I will admit I’ve only tried it a couple of times. It’s one of my few “kitchen fears.” Yours looks perfect and flaky. Maybe (?) I’ll give it another go… ;)
Tracy says:
May 4th, 2010 at 7:17 am
Your crust looks lovely. I am in love with pecans. What a perfect sticky summer picnic treat this would be. I am always worrisome about tart crusts, but this recipe really makes me want to try again.
Josie says:
May 8th, 2010 at 11:52 am
I adore that shot of the table! now you having me wanting to throw together a birthday party for myself in the next week!
That shot of the cakes is quite lovely too!