Dreaming of Autumn

I realize it's not yet fall, as the heat summer still hangs in the air, but a girl can dream right? Fall is my favorite season. With bright sunny days that have a sweet chill to the air, easing us into the fridgid winter days ahead. The leaves turning thier amazing brilliant colors in preparation of dormancy. It's not yet cold enough to make me want to hibernate, but the buzz of holidays and cozy blankets is in the air. And of course there's always the baking. I think I could bake 10 hours a day throughout fall and winter and be perfectly happy.

In my dreaming of autumn, I made a pecan pie. While there is great debate about what makes the perfect pecan pie, mostly originating from north/south loyalties, I'm not a discriminator :-) It's all pretty much pecan pie to me. This recipe is a little different than the usual sweet sticky caro corn syrup concoctions, and I really love it. With a decent amount of maple in the filling, this recipe can be a wee bit more costly, but it is truly a treat for pecan pie lovers.

Maple Pecan Pie

Ingredients:

1 rolled-out round of basic pie dough
1 cup pure maple syrup
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup dark corn syrup
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup firmly packed light or dark brown sugar
1/8 tsp. salt
2 Tbs. unsalted butter, melted
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups pecans, coarsely chopped

Directions:

Fold the dough round in half and carefully transfer to a 9-inch pie pan or dish. Unfold and ease the round into the pan, without stretching it, and pat it into the bottom and firmly up the sides of the pan. Using kitchen scissors, trim the edge of the dough, leaving 3/4 inch of overhang. Fold the overhang under itself and pinch it together to create a high edge on the pans rim. Flute the edge decoratively.

Refrigerate or freeze the pie shell until firm, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, position a rack in the lower third of an oven and preheat to 375°F.

Line the pastry shell with aluminum foil or parchment paper and fill with pie weights or raw short-grain rice. Bake for 20 minutes, then lift an edge of the foil. If the dough looks wet, continue to bake, checking every 5 minutes, until the dough is pale gold, for a total baking time of 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack. Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F.

In a saucepan over medium-high heat, bring the maple syrup to a boil and boil for 8 to 10 minutes to reduce. Remove from the heat and pour into a heatproof measuring pitcher. The syrup should be reduced to 1 1/2 cups. If necessary, return the syrup to the saucepan and continue to boil until sufficiently reduced. Let cool to room temperature before proceeding.

In a bowl, stir together the eggs, brown sugar, reduced maple syrup, salt, melted butter and vanilla until well mixed. Add the pecans and stir well. Pour into the partially baked pie shell, making sure the pecans are evenly distributed.

Bake the pie until the center is slightly puffed and firm to the touch, 30 to 35 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool until just slightly warm.

Serve with whipped vanilla cream of course :-)