INGREDIENTS

For the pastry:

  • Cake flour

    1 cup (250 ml)

  • a pinch of salt

  • cold butter

    100g

  • Caster sugar

    2T (10ml)

  • Egg

    1

  • Ice-cold water

    4T (20ml)

  • Lemon juice

    1T (5ml)

  • Lemon zest (optional)

    a little

INGREDIENTS

For the filling:

  • Pecan nuts

    130g

  • Butter

    Metled – about 60g

  • Brown sugar

    200 ml (just under a cup)

    (treacle sugar if you’re feeling particularly decadent)

  • Eggs

    2 – beaten

  • Golden Syrup

    100ml

  • Vanilla essence

    5ml (1 teaspoon)

PREPARATION

  1. Sift the flour and salt. Cut the butter into the flour, then rub it in with cold fingertips until it resembles rough breadcrumbs. Add the caster sugar. In a separate bowl, mix together the egg, water, lemon juice and zest. Add to the flour and butter and mix quickly and lightly into a dough (the less you handle it, the better). Wrap in clingwrap and put in the fridge for about 30 mins. Take it out, roll it quickly and lightly into a circle, and use it to line a pie dish. Bake the case at 200 C for about 10 minutes (don’t let the edges brown).
  2. Take the pastry case out of the oven and arrange the pecans over it in a single dense layer.
  3. Beat the melted butter, sugar and beaten eggs together until foamy. Continue beating while adding the syrup. Add the vanilla essence.
  4. Pour the syrup mixture carefully over the nuts (they will float to the top). Bake at 180 C for about 40 minutes. When you take the pie out the oven, it will still look runny – leave it for about 20 minutes to set.Serve with vanilla ice cream.