Pecan Pie, Part II
Just a follow up to the previous post, with some commentary from a failed version (not wholly constructed by me) and some further reading in the dark arts of baking.
1) Make your pie crust first and make sure it is ready to accept the filling before making the filling. Chemical reactions are going in a certain order, and disturbing that order can lead to less than desirable results (though the pie was not bad, just a bit off).
2) What’s the deal with the eggs? Ok, so it’s supposed to be a slightly creamy, though more jelly, custard-like filling. Thats why we have lots of eggs.
a) Egg yolks provide a lot of protein and fat, which provide structure and moistness, respectively, to the final filling. We whisk to get the proteins all together and provide some added structure. Of course, egg yolks don’t fluff up like egg whites can, but they do expand. We want that volume.
b) Egg whites are just lots of protein. By giving them a good whisk (without tainting with egg yolks), they will help to provide structure. By pouring over the pecans and tossing, when we integrate some of the pecans into the filling, if you did everything right, they won’t just float to the top but stay in a more suspended state. I guess there’s not a whole lot of reason to put the others in the egg whites, but they will provide some structure to the top of the pie. If you want that, keep it, if not, just toss some of the pecans in the egg whites.
c) There’s a lot of sugar and butter in the recipe to take away structure. Get it in the oven and cooking as quickly as possible so the proteins have time to set before collapsing and being filled with water.
3) Bourbon is alcohol. It evaporates quickly. Once it goes in the filling, work quickly over the heat so that it doesn’t completely dissipate. This recipe won’t leave you with the taste of bourbon in your mouth. If you want that, use more. I wouldn’t use much less, there’s not a whole lot there to begin with.
4) Putting aluminum foil on the cookie sheet would be a better idea than trying to clean burnt egg off of it.
5) Corn Syrup is nasty, that is why I am doing it this way. Plus, I have little desire to continue to support our corn growing overlords. The sugar overlords are much more respectable…?
5) No, I am not a baking expert. You need not take my advice as gospel. These are my thoughts and what I have done, not Truth deemed from the baking gods.
