Pecan Butternut Pie

This week Pot Luck Supper was at our home. I made Pecan Butternut Pie for dessert. Pot Luck Supper is a family gathering we do once a month. Bring what’s in your pot and share it with the family. It travels from one family to the next on a rotational basis. We use to have themes, but life is busy so we dropped that to make it more enjoyable. The idea is to get together with the family on a regular basis with no pressure. Come in your slippers if you want. When you host, pudding is your responsibility.

I have made Pecan Pie on numerous occasions. I do love it, but I am also aware of the amount of sugar and syrup it has in it. I wanted to make something with a little less sugar and syrup so I decided to add butternut. I played around with the flavours and sweetness and made this Pecan Butternut Pie. My family loved it and after all the plates were licked clean I told them I had added butternut. They were amazed, because there was absolutely no taste of butternut.

Please note this is not a “healthy” pie just because I reduced the sugar and syrup and added butternut. It is however really delicious and makes me feel a little less guilty. Sugar has been demonised, as has butter, flour and eggs but yet we still indulge in sweet treats every now and again. Do enjoy this Pecan Butternut Pie with whipped cream and vanilla ice cream. It’s a perfect welcome to our South African Autumn.

Pecan Butternut Pie

Light, crisp pastry and toasted pecan and velvty smooth butternut are a match made in heaven.

Servings 10

Ingredients

Pie Crust

• 26 cm x 4 cm pie dish buttered
• 240 g cake flour
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 45 g caster sugar
• 160 g butter cubed and cold
• 75 g cream cold
• 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar tender crumb

• 300 g pecans roasted in air fryer at 180°C for three minutes. Set aside to cool.
• 150 g brown sugar
• ½ tsp salt
• 75 g butter
• 150 g maple syrup
• 60 g butternut purée well drained
• 3 XL eggs likely whisk
• 1½ tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon cake flour
• 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste

Instructions

Pie Crust

• Butter the pie dish

  Mix flour, salt and sugar in a blender fitted with a blade attachment, add the butter
  26 cm x 4 cm pie dish, 240 g cake flour, 1/8 teaspoon salt, 160 g butter cubed and cold, 45 g caster sugar
• Pulse blitz until course crumbs are formed
• Add vinegar to cream and drizzle gently into crumbed flour, continuing to pulse blitz as you pour in the cream to form dough clumps.
  75 g cream cold, 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
• Tip dough clumps onto lightly floured surface and bring together to form a pat of dough measuring about 10 cm round x 5 cm high
• Cover in clingfilm and refrigerate for 45 – 60 min. Dough rolls best at 16°C
• Trace out a circle of 36-37cm on baking paper.
• Roll out dough to cover to circle – this will give an overhang of 1-1½ cm
• Turn a 24cm-25cm pot upside down and lift baking paper holding dough and gently place on top of pot like a “tablecloth”
• Place the inverted pie dish over the pastry to fit over the “tablecloth” like a hat
• Flip Pot and pie dish over to face the right way up
• Remove baking paper and gently press dough to fit snuggly into the dish
• Fold the overhanging dough back into pie dish to create a lip on the edge of the pie dish
• Crimp edges and place dough in freezer for one hour.
• Preheat oven to 200°C fan assist
• Bake pie crust lined with baking paper and filled with baking beans (bake blind) for five minutes, lower temperature to 180°C. Bake for a further 10 minutes
• Remove baking beans and paper and bake for further five minutes.
• Remove from oven and place the pecans on the base of the pie crust making sure they are facing up
  300 g pecans roasted in air fryer at 180°C for three minutes. Set aside to cool.
• Turn the oven temperature down to 160ºC

Filling

• While the dough is resting in the freezer for 1 hour make the filling
• In a medium size saucepan, add sugar, salt, butter, syrup, butternut, eggs, and lemon juice
  150 g brown sugar, ½ tsp salt, 75 g butter, 150 g maple syrup, 60 g butternut purée, 3 XL eggs, 1½ tablespoon lemon juice
• Place on medium heat and melt and mix ingredients for 10 minutes until it reaches 71°C or turns a warm, caramel colour, the same as the skins of the pecans
• Sift in the flour and mix the syrup to ensure no clumps form
  1 tablespoon cake flour
• Whisk in the vanilla bean paste
  1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
• Set aside while you wait for the pastry to freeze and bake.
• When the pastry has baked blind for the designated 15 minutes and the pecans are placed on the base, gently pour in the syrup.
• Bake in preheated oven at 160ºC for 45 – 60 minutes.
• If the pastry darkens too quickly, cover with baking paper and continue to bake until a warm autumn brown.
• Serve warm with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream or both.

Course: afternoon tea, Dessert

Cuisine: Canadian

Keyword: butternut, Maple Syrup, pecan