Maple Pecan Pie with Butter Pecan Ice Cream

My brother-in-law mentioned craving pecan pie since Thanksgiving so I decided to make a treat for him last weekend complete with homemade butter pecan ice cream. We all agreed that the pie was so sweet that vanilla ice cream would probably be more refreshing. But, the butter pecan ice cream turned out amazing and has been nice treat all on its own.

 I chose this recipe for pecan pie because it had maple syrup in it.  I thought it would add a little more flavor to the pie vs. just the normal corn syrup and brown sugar base. My family used to make maple syrup every spring .  I have fond memories of spending time in the maple woods, running sap lines and then waiting (rather impatiently) in the "sugar shanty" for the maple syrup to cook in the big boiler and be ready for us to test.  We would sip maple syrup from little paper cone cups and sometimes my dad or grandfather would boil hot dogs in the maple syrup for us. I know it sounds strange, but it was so yummy! 

I started out toasting the pecans for the ice cream. Even my little nephew commented how nice it smelled with the pecans toasting in the oven.  When they came out, I tossed them with the butter and salt and here we are...butter pecans.

The ice cream was made with a custard base, but first you cook the sugar and butter together and then mix it in with the whipping cream and whole milk.  There was nothing non-fat about this ice cream!

I monitored the temperature and brought it to right around 175 degrees.

It cooked until it coated the back of the spoon and was a nice thick custard base for our ice cream.

I ran it through the sieve to get a nice smooth base for the ice cream and then it was chilled for a while before it went in the ice cream machine.

Now, onto the pie...sugar, corn syrup and more butter!

I love it when the butter melts and looks all swirly.

The wheat crust was easy to make and work with.  It's nice and easy to wrap the dough around the rolling pin and roll it out into the pie dish.

I didn't do anything too fancy with the crust.  I just crimped it with a fork with the help of my 2-year-old niece.

The sugar/butter mixture is all mixed in with the pecans.

Then added to the chilled pie crust.

The pie isn't my favorite and while I LOVE sweet things, I do have to admit that this is a bit sweet for me.  But, we enjoyed it, my brother-in-law got his fix and now we have lots of yummy butter pecan ice cream to enjoy too.

Recipe for Maple Pecan Pie

From Bon Appétit

Pie filling:

Ingredients:

3/4 C. real maple syrup

3/4 C. (packed) golden brown sugar

1/2 C. light corn syrup

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter

3 large eggs

1 t. vanilla extract

1/4 t. salt

1 1/2 C. pecan halves

Crust:

Ingredients:

1 1/4 C. all purpose flour

1/4 C. whole wheat flour

1 T. sugar

1/2 t. salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1 large egg yolk

3 T. (or more) ice water

Directions:

Pie filling:

Stir syrup, brown sugar, corn syrup and butter in medium saucepan over medium heat until sugar dissolves and butter melts. Increase heat and boil 1 minute. Cool to lukewarm, about 45 minutes.

Position rack in bottom third of oven and preheat to 350°F. Roll out crust dough on lightly floured surface to 13-inch round. Transfer to 9-inch-diameter glass pie dish. Trim dough overhang to 1 inch. Fold edge under, forming high-standing rim; crimp decoratively. Freeze crust until firm, about 20 minutes.

Whisk eggs, vanilla and salt in a bowl to blend. Gradually whisk maple syrup mixture into egg mixture. Stir in pecan halves.

Pour filling into crust. Bake pie until filling is slightly puffed around edges and center is set, about 55 minutes. Cool pie completely on rack. (Can be prepared 8 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.) Cut pie into wedges and serve.

Crust:

Blend first 4 ingredients in processor. Add chilled butter and cut in using on/off turns until mixture resembles coarse meal. Whisk egg yolk and 3 tablespoons ice water in small bowl to blend. Add egg yolk mixture to processor and blend until moist clumps form, adding more water by teaspoonfuls if dry. Gather dough into ball; flatten dough into disk. Wrap dough in plastic and chill 1 hour. (Can be prepared 2 days ahead. Keep refrigerated. Let dough soften slightly at room temperature before rolling out.)

Recipe for Butter Pecan Ice Cream

Ingredients:

2 C. pecans (1/2 lb), finely chopped

3 T. unsalted butter, softened

1/4 t. salt

1 1/2 C. packed light brown sugar

2 t. cornstarch

4 large eggs

2 C. whole milk

2 C. heavy cream

3/4 t. vanilla

Directions:

Toast pecans in a shallow baking pan in middle of oven until fragrant and a shade darker, 7 to 8 minutes. Add butter and salt to hot pecans and toss until butter is melted, then cool pecans completely (they will absorb butter).

Whisk together brown sugar and cornstarch, then add eggs, whisking until combined. Bring milk and cream just to a boil in a 3- to 4-quart heavy saucepan over moderately high heat, then add to egg mixture in a stream, whisking constantly, and transfer custard to saucepan.

Cook custard over moderately low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until thick enough to coat back of spoon and registers 170 to 175°F on an instant-read thermometer, 2 to 3 minutes (do not let boil).

Immediately pour custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl and stir in vanilla, then cool, stirring occasionally. Chill custard, its surface covered with wax paper, until cold, at least 3 hours.

Freeze custard in ice cream maker until almost firm. Stir together ice cream and pecans in a bowl, then transfer to an airtight container and put in freezer to harden.