We are getting close to the big feast. Only a week away. My sister’s family is coming to town on Wednesday, and we are so excited. My mom, my sister, and I keep talking about how wonderful Thanksgiving week will be. We’ve got big plans. On Wednesday, we expect the kids to play nicely in the backyard while we ladies drink wine and roll out pie pastry. On Thanksgiving day, we plan on cooking the turkey while drinking Bloody Marys. Simultaneously, the boys will happily be watching the Thanksgiving Day Parade in the living room. After the kids set the table, they’ll make decorative, little turkeys out of apples, toothpicks, raisins, and olives. On Friday, we’ll take the boys to the movies where they will be completely quiet and content for two solid hours. Sounds perfect, doesn’t it? Well, it’s not going to go that way. It never does. We’ve got four boys under the age of 6, and they are going to create a big, old-fashioned shit show. We’ll be drinking early not because everything is wonderful, but because we’ll be handling a melt down every half hour. Just take a look at the photo below.
This was last Thanksgiving. My son and my nephew were fighting over a kids Mickey Mouse spoon. A spoon. It was just a spoon. Oh, and by the way, that damn spoon accidentally fell down the drain and was demolished by the garbage disposal. Accidentally.
Alcohol is our only chance to survive the week. Well, alcohol and a really good pecan rum tart.
I found this delicious pecan rum tart recipe from Fine Cooking magazine November 2011. Pecan pie is very easy to make and pecan tart is no different. For the tart shell, I used my go-to pie pastry recipe. This pie pastry recipe makes enough for a bottom and top crust. All you will need is the bottom, so freeze the other disk. The filling is easy to make and so very delicious. The rum flavoring comes through just enough, and pecans are evenly toasted.
Okay, once you’ve made the pie pastry, and let it rest in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes, roll it out an 11-inch round, and gently place it in your tart pan. Press the dough firmly into the sides of the pan, and then roll the rolling pin over the edges to easily trim the over hang.
Blind bake the tart shell for about 45 minutes in a 350 degree oven. The first 30 minutes, the pastry should be covered with foil and pie weights. Remove the foil and pie weights for the last 15 minutes.
Pour the filling into the tart shell, and then bake for about 23 minutes, or until the center is just a little firm.
Once baked, cool on a wire rack before serving.
- Pie Pastry (enough for a one-crust pie)
- 2 Large Eggs
- 1/4 cup (50 g) Dark Brown Sugar, firmly packed
- 1/2 cup Dark Corn Syrup
- 2 TBS (28 g) Unsalted Butter, melted
- A pinch of Salt
- 1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
- 2 TBS Dark Rum
- 1 and 1/2 cups (170 g) Pecans, chopped
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Roll out pastry and gently place it in your tart pan. Press the dough into the sides of the pan, and with the rolling pin, roll over the edges to cut off the extra pastry. Place foil over top and cover with pie weights (dry beans, dry rice, pennies, etc.). Bake for 30 minutes, and then remove pie weights and foil. Gently prick the bottom of the pastry with a fork (don’t go all the way through), and bake for another 15 minutes. Remove from the oven, keep the temperature at 350 degrees F., and get on with the filling.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs and brown sugar until combined. Pour in the corn syrup and mix. Add the melted butter, rum, vanilla extract and salt and mix until combined. Finally, stir in the chopped pecans.
- Pour the filling into the tart shell, and bake for about 23 to 25 minutes, or until the filling is just a little wiggly in the center. To be absolutely sure that it is done, however, you could stick a knife in the center of the tart, and if it comes out clean you are good to go. You could also take the internal temperature of the filling. The tart is ready when it reaches 185 degrees F.
- Cool on a wire rack. Serve with whipped cream, or vanilla ice cream if desired.
- Round 9 and 1/2-inch tart pan
- Whisk
- Sharp knife
- Rolling pin
- Foil
- Pie weights
- Thermometer (optional)
