Espresso & Pecan Pie

My favourite part of experimenting in the Kitchen is finding new ways to add a twist to a classic recipe. The best place to start with these experiments is by pairing flavours that are already traditionally eaten together, just in a new way. For instance, Mary Berry tells me that Pecan pie & a cup of coffee go hand in hand. So why not put the coffee in the pie? That was today’s plan, especially fitting given Lavazza’s #newtradition campaign.

Don’t forget you have a chance at winning your very own Lavazza coffee machine, Wimbledon tickets and more. Just head here.

The actual baking of this pie takes some time, but the filling is very simple to whip up. To make it quicker, you could give it a go with store bought pastry, or a pre baked base. As you can tell by my “rustic” looking crust, I baked mine myself.

For a 20cm pie tin, you’ll need:

300g shortcrust pastry, rolled

170g condensed milk

150g dark brown soft sugar

150g pecans

100g butter 

2 Tbsp maple syrup

3 eggs

2 shots espresso, of course I used my fancy new Favola Plus

 

Preheat your oven to 170 degrees. Start by lining your tin with the pastry, gently pushing it in to the edges. The first rule of pastry is keep it cool, so once you’ve worked with it, send it back to the fridge for 10mins before baking.

Fill your tin with greaseproof, followed by baking beads to weigh down the pastry and stop it from developing air bubbles. Bake for 10mins, then remove the beads and repeat the 10mins. Take it out of the oven and turn it down to 150 degrees. Leave your base to cool whilst we make the filling- this gives you chance to trim any overhang if needs be.

To make the filling, add everything, apart from the pecans to a mixing bowl and whisk until combined. Pour into the base and top with pecans- I attempted a bit of a tennis ball pattern seeing as I’m gearing up for Wimbledon.

The pie should take about 50minutes in the oven – keep an eye on it towards the end the filling should have the consistency of a thick custard.

All in all I think this is a match winner combination. My family seemed to agree judging by the speed it disappeared too! Perhaps this American classic should have been Andy Roddick’s post match refuel?

Have you created a new tradition in the Kitchen? What’s your favourite twist on a classic recipe? Let me know in the comments.

Serve

Straight from the oven with vanilla ice cream 

With a drizzle of brandy cream and some orange zest

Experiment

Try adding some cocoa powder for a mocha version

Grate some orange zest in to the mix

 

Other posts in this series:

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