Secondly, this weekend I bought a new computer capable of blasting through graphics and video like nothing, meaning I’ll no longer have to rely on the lab’s erratic hours that happen to coincide with my day job hours and require me to take time off work in order to manage this blog. I’ll be able to do everything at home, including freelance graphics, web, video, etc. to make extra money. So hypothetically speaking, I’ll be able to work and make money every waking hour of every day (if I want to, that is). I’m super-excited about that possibility, including building my own site for this blog and being able to fully customize it and promote it properly with search engine optimization like I can’t currently do on weebly. So, yeah, really excited to soon have the tools I’ll need to take my next few steps.
And in our video this week, we’re doing an experiment! When I first made this recipe, my pecan pies turned out more like pecan cake-pies. I filled the crusts immediately after pressing them into the pie plates and popped them in the oven, and the filling and crust dough merged and basically formed a cake batter as it was baking. Still delicious, the savory crust toned down the sweet filling to make a mildly sweet treat, but it wasn’t a classic pecan pie. So in the video, you see me test two different pie crust ideas: frozen crust, and blind-baked crust. The theory behind a frozen crust is that it will stay cold in the hot oven a bit longer, and the filling will have time to get hot and start setting before the crust begins cooking. The idea with blind-baking (baking the crust until warm and slightly darker before filling) is that the half-baked crust will seal itself against the filling so the two don’t mix. Blind-baking won, so I’m using that method for my recipe.
Anyway, on to our instructions! We’re combining classic southern flavors like bourbon and pecans with a hint of northern deliciousness from maple syrup and the molasses in brown sugar. We don’t want it to be too heavy, though, so we’re using light corn syrup rather than dark. And yes, we’re making the crust, too, because it’s super-easy, and so we can add bourbon to the dough. Are you drooling yet? Okay, good, on to our recipe!
Ingredients:
Crust-
2 ½ c. GF Bisquick mix
4 tbsp. (½ stick) butter, cold
¼ c. shortening, chilled
2 tbsp. bourbon
6-8 tbsp. cold water
Filling-
3 eggs
¾ c. light brown sugar
1 c. light corn syrup
¼ c. maple syrup
¼ c. bourbon
2 tbsp. melted butter
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3 c. pecans
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350°. Prepare the crust by pulsing Bisquick, butter, and shortening in food processor until dough looks grainy.
- Add bourbon and first 2 tbsp. of water. Turn processor to low speed, and gradually add remaining water by the tablespoon just until dough starts clumping together. More or less may be required based on external factors.
- Wrap dough in plastic and refrigerate at least 20 minutes so flour can hydrate.
- Preheat oven to 350°. Divide dough between two pie plates and press into shape. Cover each crust in parchment or wax paper, and pour dry beans on top to weigh crust down so it doesn’t rise. Bake 15-20 minutes, or until crust begins to darken to a light gold color.
- Measure out and whisk together all filling ingredients except pecans.
- Divide pecans between pies. Pour filling mixture evenly between the pies. Use a rubber spatula to evenly distribute pecans and filling and level top of pie. If any pecan tops are dry, use spatula to coat with filling mixture. Dry pecans will burn.
- Bake pies at 350° 50-60 minutes. Cool pies on wire rack at least 1 hour before serving.
Anyway, make sure this recipe hits your Thanksgiving table this year, and have your whole family raving. And if your family sucks and won’t eat it because it’s gluten-free, then whatever, more pie for you! Please leave your thoughts in a comment below, or get in touch with me directly by filling out the form on the contact page.
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