Ingredients
Egg yolk, for brushing
200 g brown sugar
125 ml (1/2 cup) maple syrup
30 g melted butter
3 eggs, at room temperature
40ml bourbon
1 tsp each sea salt and vanilla bean paste
1/2 tsp each cinnamon and nutmeg
200 g pecans, toasted and coarsely chopped
Sea salt and crème fraiche, to serve
Brown sugar shortcrust pastry
200 g (1 ¼ cup) plain flour
120 g cold butter, cubed
30g brown sugar
1 tsp sea salt
½ tsp white vinegar
1 egg yolk
20 ml ice-cold water
Method
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For pastry, combine flour, butter, sugar and salt in a food processor and blitz until fine crumbs form. Add vinegar, egg yolk and water then blitz until a rough dough forms. Turn out onto a lightly floured bench, shape into a ball and then flatten into a disc. Wrap with cling wrap and set aside to rest for 20 minutes to firm slightly.
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Roll out pastry on a lightly floured surface to 3mm thick and to about a 30cm round. Return to the fridge to firm slightly, about 20-30 minutes. Transfer pastry to a 26cm fluted tart tin and gently press the pastry into the corners of the tart tin using a pastry brush. Trim excess pastry, prick base with a fork and then refrigerate to rest for at least 2 hours.
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Preheat oven to 180C (160C fan-forced). Blind bake pastry until golden, about 20-25 minutes. Remove paper and weights, then bake for 10-15 minutes until pastry is light golden. Brush pastry base with egg yolk, return to the oven for 4-6 minutes or until pastry base is dry and golden.
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Whisk brown sugar, maple syrup, butter, eggs, bourbon, salt and spices together until well combined in a bowl. Stir in pecans then pour into pastry case. Bake until top is golden and filling is nearly set, about 30-35 minutes (middle should have a very slight wobble). Cool to room temperature before serving, about 2-3 hours. To serve, divide tarts between serving plates, sprinkle with extra sea salt and a dollop of crème fraiche.
For this recipe, we used the KitchenAid Pro Line Mixer with a dough hook and whisk tool.
