Spiced Pecan Pie & Egg Nog Ice Cream

This recipe has been a labour of love.  One of my all time favourite desserts is pecan pie - what's not to love!!!  What that means, of course, is that I'm very picky about what makes a good pecan pie.  It can't be too sweet, it can't be too wobbly/jelly like.  It can't be light on the pecans.  The pastry needs to be short, but light and thin - a mouthful of pastry just overpowers the pecans.

So, in preparation for Christmas, I set out to find the perfect pecan pie recipe to convert.  Which resulted in *A LOT* of pecan pies coming out of my dodgy little oven.  Which resulted in two things:-

1.  Paul isn't particularly keen to have pecan pie on Christmas Day now, being somewhat pecan pie-d out.

2.  I finally ordered my new oven!!!

The combination of recipes I ended up with is a bit of a magpie's nest: bright and shiny bits and pieces stolen from everywhere.  The pastry is basically the almond pastry from The Everyday Cookbook (but I use raw almonds, not blanched - the skins actually really add to the nuttiness).  The pie filling is based on Melissa Clark's recipe in Cook This Now and is absolutely sensational!  The egg nog ice cream is just a variation of the world's best ice cream recipe ever - the Salted Caramel Maple Ice Cream on the Thermomix Forum. 

The great thing about both of these recipes is that they can easily be done the day before Christmas, saving you valuable drinking time time socialising with your relatives on Christmas Day. 

Enjoy!!!

SPICED PECAN PIE

Ingredients:-

Pastry (from EDC):-

30g rapadura

30g almonds

210g plain flour

½ tsp mixed spice

130g hard butter, cut into small chunks

¼ tsp salt

1 egg yolk

3-4 tsp water or orange juice

Filling:-

320g maple syrup

80g rapadura

1 strip orange rind

8 whole star anise

360g pecan halves

3 large eggs

120g butter

2 tbs dark rum

¼ tsp salt

Method:-

1.       Place maple syrup, sugar, orange rind & star anise into TMX bowl.  Cook for 15 minutes at 100°, on reverse, on speed soft, with the MC off.  Set aside to cool and infuse for at least an hour.

2.      While the syrup is infusing, make the pastry. (See below)

3.      Preheat the oven to 200° and toast the pecans for approximately 10 minutes.  Don’t let them burn!!!!  Reduce oven to 170°.

4.      Place butter into TMX bowl and melt for 3 minutes at 60° on speed 1.

5.      Remove the star anise and orange peel from the syrup (I reserve them and use them to decorate when serving). 

6.      Place syrup, eggs, rum and salt in with the melted butter.  Whisk together for 10 seconds on speed 4.

7.      Add pecans to bowl and whisk again for 5 seconds, on reverse, on speed 1.

8.     Pour into pie shell and cook for 35-40 minutes.

9.      Cool and serve with Egg Nog Ice Cream.

Pastry:-

1.       Place sugar into TMX bowl and pulverise for 3 seconds on speed 9.  Set aside.

2.      Place almonds into TMX bowl and mill for 5 seconds on speed 8.

3.      Add flour, butter, sugar, spice and salt and mix for about 10 seconds on speed 6, until mixture resembles breadcrumbs.

4.      Set dial to closed lid position.  Add egg yolk and water/juice.  Knead on interval speed for 10-20 seconds to form dough.

5.      Turn mixture onto floured board and knead lightly.  Roll into a disc and cover with cling film.  Refrigerate for 15 minutes before rolling out.

6.      Roll out to cover pie dish (I use a 24cm loose bottom flan dish).  Prick with a fork and blind bake at 200° for 15 minutes.

7.      Allow to cool before adding filling.

EGG NOG ICE CREAM

Ingredients:-

300g raw sugar

55g rum

55g brandy

55g butter

½ tsp nutmeg

1 tsp vanilla bean paste

½ tsp salt

100g full cream milk

500g cream

5 eggs

Method:-

1.       Place sugar into TMX bowl and pulverise for 15 seconds on speed 9.

2.      Add alcohol, butter, vanilla and nutmeg.  Cook for 15 minutes at Varoma temp on speed 1.

3.      Add salt, cream and milk and whisk together for 30 seconds on speed 5.

4.      Reduce to speed 4 and add eggs one at a time.

5.      Cook for a further 5 minutes on 100° at speed 4.

6.      Pour into a cold metal tray (I use a baking tray) and freeze for approximately 3-4 hours.

7.      Remix for 1 minute on speed 5.

8.     Repeat these two steps – freeze for a further 3-4 hours and remix.

9.      Pour into a container and freeze.