Melissa Clark's Spiced Maple Pecan Pie with Star Anise

Name: Melissa Clark's Spiced Maple Pecan Pie with Star Anise
Prep time: 4 h
Cook time: 4 h
Total time: 4 h
Yield: 8
Cuisine: Southern
Ingredients: 8 servings Whipped crème fraîche, for serving; 118 milliliters Demerara or raw sugar; 3 larges eggs; 296 milliliters all-purpose flour; 2 Tbsps ice water; 0 teaspoons kosher salt; 237 milliliters maple syrup; 473 milliliters pecan halves; 2 Tbsps dark aged rum; 0 teaspoons salt; 4 Tbsps (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted; 8 whole star anise

You can never have too many Southern recipes, so give Melissa Clark's Spiced Maple Pecan Pie with Star Anise a try. This recipe serves 8. One serving contains 510 calories, 7g of protein, and 28g of fat. If you have star anise, demerara, maple syrup, and a few other ingredients on hand, you can make it. Only a few people really liked this dessert. It is a good option if you're following a vegetarian diet. It will be a hit at your Thanksgiving event. From preparation to the plate, this recipe takes about 4 hours.

Instructions

To make the crust, in a food processor, briefly pulse together the flour and salt.

Ingredients you will need

Crust

All Purpose Flour

Salt

Equipment you will use

Food Processor

Add the butter and pulse until the mixture forms lima bean–size pieces (three to five 1-second pulses).

Ingredients you will need

Lima Beans

Butter

Add ice water 1 tablespoon at a time, and pulse until the mixture is just moist enough to hold together. Form the dough into a ball, wrap with plastic, and flatten into a disc. Refrigerate at least 1 hour before rolling out and baking (or up to a week, or freeze for up to 4 months).On a lightly floured surface, roll out the piecrust to a 12-inch circle.

Ingredients you will need

Water

Pie Crust

Dough

Roll

Wrap

Transfer the crust to a 9-inch pie plate. Fold over any excess dough, then crimp as decoratively as you can manage.Prick the crust all over with a fork. Freeze the crust for 15 minutes or refrigerate for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Cover the pie with aluminum foil and fill with pie weights (you can use pennies, rice, or dried beans for this; I use pennies).

Ingredients you will need

Dried Beans

Crust

Dough

Rice

Equipment you will use

Aluminum Foil

Oven

Bake for 20 minutes; remove the foil and weights and bake until pale golden, about 5 minutes more. Cool on a rack until needed.To make the filling, in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, bring the maple syrup, Demerara sugar, and star anise to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook until the mixture is very thick, all the sugar has dissolved, and the syrup measures 1 cup, 15 to 20 minutes.

Ingredients you will need

Demerara Sugar

Maple Syrup

Star Anise

Sugar

Syrup

Equipment you will use

Oven

Sauce Pan

Aluminum Foil

Remove from the heat and let sit for 1 hour for the anise to infuse.While the syrup is infusing, toast the nuts. Preheat the oven to 325°F.

Ingredients you will need

Anise

Syrup

Toast

Nuts

Equipment you will use

Oven

Spread the pecans out on a baking sheet and toast them in the oven until they start to smell nutty, about 12 minutes.

Ingredients you will need

Pecans

Spread

Toast

Equipment you will use

Baking Sheet

Oven

Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Equipment you will use

Wire Rack

Remove the star anise from the syrup. Warm the syrup if necessary to make it pourable but not hot (you can pop it in the microwave for a few seconds if you’ve moved it to a measuring cup). In a medium bowl, whisk together the syrup, eggs, melted butter, rum, and salt. Fold in the pecan halves.

Ingredients you will need

Pecan Halves

Star Anise

Butter

Pop

Egg

Salt

Rum

Equipment you will use

Measuring Cup

Microwave

Whisk

Bowl

Pour the filling into the crust and transfer to a rimmed baking sheet.

Ingredients you will need

Crust

Equipment you will use

Baking Sheet

Bake until the pie is firm to the touch but jiggles slightly when moved, 35 to 40 minutes.

Equipment you will use

Oven

Let cool to room temperature before serving with whipped crème fraîche.Reprinted with permission from Cook This Now: 120 Easy and Delectable Dishes You Can’t Wait to Make by Melissa Clark. Copyright 201

Ingredients you will need

Creme Fraiche

Published by Hyperion Books.

Equipment

Ingredients

Servings:

8servings

Whipped crème fraîche, for serving 118milliliters

Demerara or raw sugar 3larges

eggs 296milliliters

all-purpose flour 2Tbsps

ice water 0teaspoons

kosher salt 237milliliters

maple syrup 473milliliters

pecan halves 2Tbsps

dark aged rum 0teaspoons

salt 4Tbsps

(1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted 8

whole star anise

Recommended wine: Riesling, Sparkling Wine, Zinfandel

Southern works really well with Riesling, Sparkling Wine, and Zinfandel. In general, there are a few rules that will help you pair wine with southern food. Food-friendly riesling or sparkling white wine will work with many fried foods, while zinfandel is great with barbecued fare. The Gunderloch Estate Riesling Dry with a 4.3 out of 5 star rating seems like a good match. It costs about 15 dollars per bottle.