Two pecan pies baked last night.
Recipe:
Deer Valley Pecan Pie
originally published in Sunset Magazine 11/1997; originated by Letty Flatt, pastry chef at Deer Valley Lodge, Park City, Utah
1 3/4 cups pecan halves or pieces
6 tbsp. butter or margarine
3 large eggs
2 tbsp. flour
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 tsp. vanilla
1. Preheat oven to 350. Spread pecans in a single layer on a baking sheet or pan; bake at 350 until nuts are fragrant and slightly darkened, about 7-8 minutes
2. In saucepan, cook butter or margarine over high heat until it just begins to turn brown and have a nutty aroma, about 4-5 minutes; remove from heat
3. Finely grind 1/4 cup of the pecans in a food processor or blender. Place the remaining whole pecans (the ones not ground) in the prebaked pie crust.
4. Beat eggs until blended. Add ground pecans, butter, flour, brown sugar, maple syrup, and vanilla. Mix well. Pour into prebaked crust over the whole pecans.
5. Bake at 350 until center is set when pan is gently shaken; about 25-35 minutes. Let stand until cool.
Quick & Easy Pie Crust
1 1/2 cups flour
2 tbsp. cold milk
2 tbsp. sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 tsp. salt
Mix all ingredients in a bowl and knead into a ball. The dough should be moist enough to hold itself into a ball without cracking; if it’s too dry, add a bit of oil and re-knead until it’s moist and holds itself together. Place in 9” pie pan and flatten the ball of dough. Work the dough, using your palms, up the sides of the pie. Pinch or fork pattern the crust to your preference.
The crust can be prebaked at 350 for 20-30 minutes, until light golden brown, for recipes that require a prebaked crust (as in the above recipe). For recipes that bake for an hour (e.g. apple pie), the crust can be filled and baked without prebaking. Whole wheat flour can be used and will taste almost like graham cracker crust; a bit more oil
