YOUR FRIENDS' ACTIVITY

    Perfect Pecan Pie

    By | Shine Food – Thu, Nov 15, 2012 5:41 PM EST
    Photo by: James Ransom
    To make the crust, in a food processor, briefly pulse together the flour and salt. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture forms lima bean-size pieces (three to five ... more 
    Photo by: James Ransom
    To make the crust, in a food processor, briefly pulse together the flour and salt. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture forms lima bean-size pieces (three to five 1-second pulses).
    less 
    1 / 14
    Thu, Nov 15, 2012 5:42 PM EST
    Share to Facebook Share to Pinterest Share to Twitter
    Close
    Previous image
    Next image
    1 - 14 / 14

    What makes a perfect pecan pie -- one worthy of the Thanksgiving table? We say: everything about this one.

    >>RELATED: See our favorite pumpkin pie recipe, Meta Given's Pumpkin Pie.

    Why? Because this recipe from Melissa Clark's wonderful cookbook Cook This Now is the essence of fall: all of the spiced, toasted, dark, and sweet notes of it. It calls for wholesome maple syrup (instead of the more traditional corn syrup), which you reduce until thick and infuse with a generous amount of spice. A splash of dark rum adds a little punch to the subtly smoky filling, and the crust is a sheer joy: tender and flaky, it's also supremely easy to handle.

    It will definitely be on our Thanksgiving tables this year.

    >>RELATED: Make perfect pie every time with our Pastry 101.

    Melissa Clark's Spiced Pecan Pie with Star Anise

    FOR THE PIE CRUST

    1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
    1/4 teaspoon salt
    10 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and cut into ½-inch pieces
    2 to 5 tablespoons ice water

    FOR THE FILLING

    1 cup maple syrup
    1/2 cup Demerara or raw sugar
    8 whole star anise
    2 cups pecan halves
    3 large eggs
    4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
    2 tablespoons dark aged rum
    1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
    Whipped cream or crème fraiche, for serving

    See the slideshow for step-by-step instructions, and go here to save, print, or ask a question about this recipe on Food52.

    SUPPER CLUB PICK

    • Childhood Favorites from the Shine Supper Club
      View Photos
      Childhood Favorites from the Shine Supper Club
      Childhood Favorites from the Shine Supper Club

      My after-school snack was a sacred ritual. I sat on the carpet in my parents' bedroom at a low table, the television turned to "I Dream of Jeannie," and ate a peanut butter and honey sandwich cut into neat squares. I wasn't fussy about crusts. I just loved the sticky pairing of creamy peanut butter with syrupy golden sweetness drizzled from a honey bear in diagonals across the soft white bread. Nothing else--save for maybe apples and peanut butter in a pinch--could have made for as sweet an