Rye Pecan Pie Recipes

Steps:

• Make the crust: In a mixer fitted with paddle attachment, combine flour, salt and white sugar at low speed. Add butter and mix until pea-size lumps form. Raise the speed to medium-low and add 1/2 cup ice water in a slow, steady stream, mixing just until dough holds together. To test, pinch a small amount of dough. If it is crumbly, add more ice water, one tablespoon at a time. Shape dough into a ball and wrap it loosely in plastic, then roll it into a disk. Refrigerate at least one hour, or up to 3 days, before rolling. (Dough can be frozen for up to a month.)
• Open a 10-inch springform pan, flip the bottom over so the outside surface faces in, then close. This will make removing the pie easier when it is done, by preventing the dough from sinking into the pan's crease. On a lightly floured surface, roll chilled dough into a circle 16 inches in diameter. Lift it and let it settle into pan, fitting the dough down into the edges. Press the sides firmly against pan and pinch around the top rim. Trim dough with kitchen scissors so it hangs over the rim by one inch, reserving excess. Refrigerate in pan until very cold and firm, at least 45 minutes.
• Heat oven to 400 degrees. Prick bottom of dough with a fork. Lay a piece of parchment or wax paper in pan, then a piece of aluminum foil. Fill foil lining with dried beans to top of pan. Bake 15 to 25 minutes, until the sides of the crust have set and turned a light golden brown. Remove from oven and lift out the beans, foil and parchment. Patch any holes with reserved dough, pressing firmly. Bake 10 to 15 minutes more, until golden brown. Let cool at least 30 minutes before filling.
• Fill the pie: Heat oven to 325 degrees. In a bowl, whisk together the eggs, brown sugar, melted butter, molasses, corn syrup, vanilla, salt and rye or bourbon. Place baked pie shell, still in the pan, on a sheet pan. Gently pour in the filling. Sprinkle chopped pecans evenly over surface. Working from outside in, arrange pecan halves in concentric circles, without overlapping, until entire surface is covered. (Use only as many as needed.)
• Bake 50 to 60 minutes, just until filling is firm and a wooden skewer comes out clean when inserted into center. (Do not worry if the overhanging crust becomes very dark brown.) Let cool completely. Use a serrated knife to saw off all overhanging pie crust. Carefully remove outer ring of pan. Slice with a large, very sharp knife and serve with whipped cream.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar, corn syrup, butter, water, and cornstarch. Bring to a full boil, and remove from heat.
• In a large bowl, beat eggs until frothy. Gradually beat in cooked syrup mixture. Stir in salt, vanilla, and pecans. Pour into pie shell.
• Bake in preheated oven for 45 to 50 minutes, or until filling is set.

Steps:

• Crust:
• Whisk rye flour, sugar, salt, and 1½ cups all-purpose flour in a large bowl to combine. Add butter and toss to evenly coat. Working quickly and aggressively, use your fingers to rub butter into flour to create large shaggy pieces of dough (you want some pieces of butter that are flat and thin and some that are large and chunky). Drizzle 5 Tbsp. ice water over, running your fingers through flour mixture to evenly distribute. Knead dough in bowl until it starts to come together (it should look a little dry, but add more ice water by the teaspoonful if needed, just until dough comes together).
• Turn dough out onto a work surface and knead 1 or 2 more times, pressing to incorporate shaggy edges and any loose bits. Dust surface and dough lightly with flour to keep dough from sticking. Using your hands, form dough into about a 7x5" rectangle. Using your rolling pin, gently tap and press dough to compact and tidy up edges. Roll out dough, dusting dough and surface as needed, until 3 times longer than when you started. Fold dough over onto itself in thirds like a letter to make a square. Wrap in plastic and chill until firm, at least 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 400°F. Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface to about a 12" round. Wrap dough around your rolling pin and unfurl into a standard 9"-diameter pie dish. Gently lift dough so it slumps down into edges of dish. Trim overhang and crimp as desired. Line crust with parchment paper or foil. Place dish on a rimmed baking sheet and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake until edges of crust start to brown, about 20 minutes. Remove parchment and weights. Decrease oven temperature to 350° and bake crust until edges are golden, 20-25 minutes. Remove dish from oven and brush 1 Tbsp. egg white over bottom of crust. Return to oven and bake until crust is golden brown, 5-10 minutes (the egg creates a water-resistant coating that helps prevent the custard from making the bottom soggy). Reserve remaining egg white for topping.
• Do Ahead: Dough can be made 3 days ahead; keep chilled. Crust can be baked 3 days ahead; store tightly wrapped at room temperature.
• Filling and assembly:
• While your crust is baking, combine eggs, egg yolk, pie filling, cream, granulated sugar, whiskey, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cardamom, cloves, 6 Tbsp. brown sugar, 2 Tbsp. butter, and ½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or ¼ tsp. Morton kosher salt in a large bowl and blend with an immersion blender until smooth; try not to aerate. (Alternatively, you can whisk mixture well and blend in 2 batches in a blender until smooth and homogenous.)
• Pour into crust and bake pie (still at 350°F) until filling is puffed and mostly set with just a slight wobble in the center when gently shaken, 40-45 minutes.
• Just before the pie is done baking, toast pecans on a rimmed baking sheet, tossing once, until slightly darkened and fragrant, 8-10 minutes.
• Whisk reserved egg white, remaining 2 Tbsp. brown sugar, and remaining ¾ tsp. salt in a small bowl until foamy, about 30 seconds. Add syrup and remaining 1 Tbsp. butter; whisk just to combine. Add pecans and toss to coat.
• Carefully remove pie from oven and top with pecan mixture, allowing any excess egg white mixture to drip back into the bowl. Return pie to oven and bake until filling is completely set (a tester or paring knife inserted into the center should come out clean) and nuts are not tacky to the touch, 8-10 minutes. Transfer pie to a wire rack and let cool, at least 2 hours. Serve with whipped cream if desired.
• Do Ahead: Pie can be baked 1 day ahead. Store uncovered in a cool oven or at room temperature.

Steps:

• Line a pie pan with the pastry and crimp the edges. Refrigerate the pastry shell while preparing the filling. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• In a large bowl beat the eggs until blended but not frothy. Stir in the corn syrup and the vanilla.
• Mix the brown and granulated sugars together in a small bowl, making sure there are no lumps. Stir the sugars, the melted butter and the salt into the egg mixture.
• Spread the pecans over the bottom of the pastry shell. Pour the filling mixture over the pecans.
• Bake the pie 55 to 60 minutes, until the filling is slightly puffed and a knife inserted in the filling off-center, about 2 1/2 inches from the edge, comes out clean.
• Allow the pie to cool to room temperature. If desired, whip the cream and serve it on the side.