PECAN PIE WITH CANDIED GINGER & RUM

This dessert will be perfectly served on this coming Thanksgiving Day and also Christmas Day. I got this idea from my store brought magazine, Food & Wine November 2012. When I turned the pages, I discovered this special recipe that's of DIY Pie Crust-Perfectly Flaky Yogurt-Butter Pie Dough which is much flakier. For the flakier crust, it required all the ingredients to be cold when using. The other tip for flakier crust is having the flour and cold chuck butter in the bowl and using your two hand rubbed it into a coarse flakes. All the below pictures of step by step making the pie dough is all courtesy of Food & Wines.

After my baking and cooling the pie, it's time for my family and me to taste. Gosh...the pie crust was so flakier and the pecan filing is yummy too. It's my first time making pecan pie with candied ginger and rum and I love the every bites of the hint of ginger and sweet. Like me I don't like so sweet so I had decreased the amount of brown sugar to 1/2 cup. I know my crust don't look perfectly twisted but will make more improvement for next time. Anyway....hereby I would like to share the recipe with you'll....ENJOY!!!

TO MAKE THE CRUST

PERFECTLY FLAKY YOGURT-BUTTER PIE DOUGH

INGREDIENTS :

1-1/2 cups bleached all-purpose flour
1 stick cold unsalted butter - 5 tbsp cut into 1/4-inch dice, the rest left whole
1/4 cup cold plain whole yogurt ( not Greek-style )
1/2 tsp salt


METHODS :

1. Measure the flour into a glass or ceramic bowl and freeze for 15 minutes. Freeze the 3 tbsp of whole chuck butter for 15 minutes. Put the 5 tbsp diced butter on the plate and refrigerate for 15 minutes. In a glass measuring cup, combine the yogurt and salt with 1 tbsp of cold water and refrigerate for 15 minutes.
NOTES : Keep all ingredients in freeze or refrigerator until is ready to use step by step.

2. After the 15 minutes, bring out the cold flour and refrigerated cold diced butter. Using your hands, rub the cold diced butter and cold flour between your hands until all of the fat is evenly distributed and the mixture resembles fine oat flakes. Then bring out the freeze butter chunk and using a sharp knife or a cheese plane, very thinly slice the remaining butter onto the flour mixture. Freeze it for another 5 minutes.

3. Then gently toss to separate the slices and cut once or twice to combine them with the flour mixture; the slices should remain cold and intact. Bring out the cold yogurt mixture from the refrigerator and drizzle it into the flour mixture, using a spatula to stir and toss as you drizzle.Continue tossing the dough with your hands, scraping any off the spatula and the side of the bowl, until it is crumbly and evenly moistened. Press the dough into a 6-inch disk and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate the dough for at least 2 hours or overnight, or freeze for 1 month.




FOR THE FILLING

INGREDIENTS :

2 cups pecan halved
1 cup lightly packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1 tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 tsp salt
3 large eggs
2 tbsp rum
1/4 cup finely chopped crystallized ginger


METHODS :

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degree Fahrenheit. Spread the pecan in a pie plate and toast for about 8 minutes, until fragrant. Let it cool.

2. Increase the oven temperature to 400 degree Fahrenheit. On a floured work surface, roll out the dough to a 13-inch round; patch any cracks. Fold the round in quarters and transfer to a 9-inch glass pie dish; unfold the pastry and gently press it into the pie plate.

3. Using scissors, trim the overhanging dough to 1/2-inch. Tuck the edge of the dough under itself and crimp decoratively. Line the dough with foil, shinny side down, and prick all over with a fork, piercing the foil and pie dough. Freeze for 15 minutes.

4. Fill the pie with pie weights or dried beans and bake in the lower third of the oven for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and weights. Return the crust to the oven and bake until lightly browned, about 12 minutes.

5. Meanwhile, in the heatproof bowl, combine the brown sugar, corn syrup, butter and salt. Set the bowl over a saucepan filled with 1-inch of simmering water and whisk in the eggs, one at a time. Cook, whisking gently, until the filling is warm to the touch. Remove from the heat and whisk in the rum and set aside.

6. Arrange the toasted pecans in the pie shell and scatter the chopped crystallized ginger on top. Gently pour the filling mixture over the pecans. Bake for about 25 minutes, until the filing is jiggly but not cracked; cover the edge of the crust with strips of foil halfway through baking to prevent over-browning.

7. Let the pie cool on a wire rack. Cut into wedges and serve.