Pecan Pie

Directions

In a mixing bowl whisk together flour, sugar and salt. Add butter and cut into flour using a pastry cutter or a long pronged for until mixture resembles coarse meal with small visible chunks of butter. Add 1 Tbsp of water at a time and fold with a rubber spatula, while adding just enough water until mixture has almost fully come together and is in moist clumps. Gently press dough together and shape into a 6-inch round disk, wrap in plastic wrap and chill 45 - 60 minutes until nearly firm. Dust a clean work surface with flour and roll crust out into a 12-inch round. Fold dough in half then fold in half once more, transfer to a 9-inch pie dish with the folded corner of the dough in the center of the pie pan. Carefully unfold dough and fit into dish. Trim excess crust coming within about 3/4-inch of the pie dish. Tuck that excess under crust and flute or decorate as desired. Pierce bottom and sides of the crust all over with a fork. Transfer to freezer and chill 15 - 20 minutes until firm*. Meanwhile preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place pie on a baking sheet. Fit two layered sheet of foil snugly against the pie crust , fill with 2 lbs of dry beans**. Bake crust on baking sheet in center of oven 15 minutes. Remove from oven. Lift out beans using foil. Return to oven and to bake 10 minutes longer. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees.

Chop 1 cup of the pecans then sprinkle evenly into pie crust. Sprinkle 1 cup whole pecans over chopped layer. Set aside. In a mixing bowl whisk together brown sugar, salt and cinnamon. Mix in butter, corn syrup, eggs and vanilla extract . Pour mixture evenly over pecan layer in crust. Transfer pie to a baking sheet. Bake in lower portion of the oven, covering edges or tenting entire top of pie with foil as needed***. Bake until pie is set, about 45 - 55 minutes . Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely. Store in refrigerator until ready to serve.