85gunsalted cold butter6 tbsp., cut into mini cubes
1and 1/2 tbsp cold heavy cream
1and 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar
For the Pecan Filling
1 and 1/2cupPecan Halves
4largeegg yolks
1/3cuphoney
4tbspunsalted butter
1/2cupbrown sugar
1/4cupheavy cream
1pinchsalt
1tspvanilla extract
Instructions
Make the Pie Crust
In a large bowl, combine flour, salt, and baking powder. Add the cream cheese and incorporate it into the flour mixture by pressing it with your fingers and smashing with your palms. Work quickly until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the cubed cold butter and incorporate it into the flour by pressing with your fingers but leaving the butter pieces just flattened and still visible. The mixture should look crumbly with big pieces of crumbs from the addition of butter.
Add the cream and apple cider vinegar and combine until dough is almost coming together. Gather it into a ball, flatten into a disc and wrap with plastic. Refrigerate dough for about 6 hours or overnight. On a floured surface, roll the dough to about 1/4 to 1/8 inch thick and gently wrap it around the rolling pin. Lift it gently over the pie pan, lower and center it down and tuck the dough into the sides of the pan. Cut excess dough on the edge of the pie pan and use your fingers or a fork to create decorative borders. Refrigerate dough for at least two hours.
Preheat oven to 425F. Line the pie crust with parchment paper that extends up the sides. Fill the hollow with uncooked rice or beans and blind bake the crust for 20-25 minutes, until the edges are lightly golden. Remove the pie weights and set aside.
Make the Filling and Bake the Pecan Pie
Arrange the pecan halves on the surface of the baked pie crust. Preheat oven to 350 F. In a medium saucepan over low heat, add the butter, sugar, cream, honey, salt and egg yolks. Cook while stirring often and without letting it boil. When it has thickened slightly and is uniform in color, turn off heat. This should take about 7 minutes or so. Strain mixture in a bowl and stir the vanilla.
Pour the mixture slowly over the pecans in the crust, covering them with the liquid. make a foil ring by cutting out a piece of foil that is slightly bigger than your crust, cut a big hole in the center so that the edges of the pie crust is covered while the filling is exposed. Place this on top of the pie and bake for 20 minutes. The filling should be slightly bubbling and slimy.
Let pie cool for 45-50 minutes before unmoulding.
Notes
Preparation times does not include chilling of pastry dough which is 6 hours.Recipe adapted from The Pie and Pastry Bible by Rose Levy Berenbaum.