Pecan Tart with Bourbon Pecan Crust

There’s not much more Southern than pecan pie. My Mom made one of the best and she always had one on her holiday table. For a time the pecan pie disappeared from our Thanksgiving table. Some holidays it was a very small group and having more pies than guests seemed excessive. Then Emily found Matthew. Along with allowing him to add a favorite side to the Thanksgiving feast I let him add a dessert. His choice, a pecan pie. My Mom would be so happy!

Pecan pie is a delectable dessert. A pie with a creamy, silky custard-like filling topped with a layer of toasted, crunchy pecans – well that’s a hard thing to improve upon. But what if we turn it into a deep tart shell and encase it in a bourbon pecan crust? Now it’s spectacular! It creates a perfect balance for this sweet delicacy. And if you’re afraid of piecrust, you’ll love the very forgiving nature of this pastry dough.

Many pecan pie recipes call for pecan halves, but I always opt for chopped pecans. They still make a beautiful pie but are far easier to slice when you’re serving. The filling I make is from my Mom’s recipe and I’m sure it is the same one scattered across many Southern kitchens. Always use real butter (Do I really need to say this?), a bit of whipping cream in lieu of milk and always a high quality, pure vanilla extract. The filling needs to burst with vanilla and have a luscious texture to balance out those toasted pecans.

I bake the pecan pie tart in a 9-3/4” diameter tart pan that is 2” deep and has a removable bottom. The removable bottom makes it easy to remove the edge ring and transfer it to your serving plate. If you don’t have access to a deep tart pan, use a deep dish pie pan.

Any nut crust can sometimes be crumbly when you roll it out. But with this pastry dough can easily press the crumbs and any stray pieces into the tart pan. So, don’t stress if it’s not a perfect sheet of pastry.

This is one beautiful and delicious dessert for your holiday table!

Pecan Tart with Bourbon Nut Crust

For the nut crust:

¾ cup chopped pecans

1-¼ cups flour, plus extra for rolling

½ teaspoon kosher salt

¼ cup butter, cut into cubes and well chilled

2 tablespoons very cold water

2 tablespoons good bourbon

Place the pecans in a food processor and pulse about 10 to 12 times until the nuts are finely chopped.

Toss in the flour and kosher salt then pulse about 5 to 6 times until the flour is blended into the nuts. Add the chilled butter cubes and pulse about 6 to 8 times, or until the butter is about the size of small peas.

Pour the cold water and bourbon over the top of the mixture. Pulse about 6 to 8 times or until the dough begins to holds together. Don’t over process or your crust will be tough.

Turn the dough out onto a sheet of parchment paper and form it into a disk. Wrap the dough up in the parchment paper and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. The dough can be made ahead and refrigerated overnight.

When you’re ready to roll out the pastry dough, dust your surface and rolling pin with a light coating of flour. Roll it out until it is about 11” in diameter. Wrap the dough over the rolling pin and place it in the tart pan. Press it gently into the pan and into fluted edge going up the sides. If you want a tall crust, press the dough up to the top edge, or you can go about ⅔ the height of the pan. Set the crust aside while you make the filling.

Pecan Filling:

¼ cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar

1 cup light corn syrup

1 tablespoon whipping cream

¼ teaspoon kosher salt

3 extra-large eggs, room temperature

2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract (yes, tablespoons!)

1-½ cups chopped pecans*

*I use toasted pecans for the crust and raw pecans for the filling. They pecans in the filling will toast as the tart bakes.

Blend the butter and brown sugar together on medium speed, about 1 minute. Add the corn syrup and mix together until smooth then stir in the whipping cream.

In a small bowl, whisk the eggs with the kosher salt until light and frothy, about 1 minute. Add the eggs to the butter and sugar mixture, blending in on low speed until smooth.

Stir in the vanilla then add the pecans mixing on low speed until well blended.

Pour the pecan filling into the unbaked nut crust and bake at 400-degrees for 10 minutes. Lower the heat of your oven to 350-degrees and continue baking 55 to 58 minutes or until the filling is set and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. You can also check the internal temperature by inserting an instant read thermometer into the center of the pie. You want the pie filling to reach 200 degrees.

Set the pie on a wire rack to cool before slicing, allowing it time to set up as it cools.

Note: If you prefer to bake the pie in a traditional pie pan, reduce the second cooking time to 35-40 minutes.

Serves 8.