Several years ago Max Miller of Tasting History resurrected a delicious recipe for Texas Pecan Pie from the March 1914 issue of Christian Science Monitor. This recipe pre-dates the ubiquitous (and also delicious) Karo corn syrup pecan pie recipe, first published in the 1930s. The filling is less sweet and more like a custard and it’s topped with meringue.
Here is the Tasting History video with a lot of interesting history about pecans and pecan pie.
The 1914 recipe calls for parbaking a “rich crust” and likewise, Miller instructs you to use “your favorite pie dough.” But here at Breadtopia we think the crust is as important as the filling, worthy of focus and recipe testing. I decided to use turkey red wheat because the same varietal was very likely used by bakers making this pie over one hundred years ago. Turkey red was brought to the U.S. by Mennonite farmers in 1873. It essentially established the U.S. bread basket and was the dominant wheat grown in the Great Plains until the 1940s. The flour used for pie dough in 1914 may have been roller milled (white) or sifted, but I went with whole grain because I think the richer flavor pairs well with the filling and adds some healthy fiber too. I also added spices to the crust: cinnamon, nutmeg, and mahleb (described in the recipe notes).
Here are a couple of visual possibilities for the meringue topping. Covering the entire tart with meringue and sprinkling it with chopped pecans is the option given in the 1914 version, and omitting the meringue altogether is fine too of course.
This video shows the target thickness for the filling.
Check out the Photo Gallery after the recipe for step-by-step pics.
Pecan Tart with an Heirloom Wheat Crust
This unique and delicious tart from 1914 has a pecan custard filling and a meringue topping. It’s a little less sweet than the classic pecan pie, allowing more of the nut flavor to come through, and we’ve added our own twist: a flavorful crust made from the leading wheat in the U.S. from the same era: Heirloom Turkey Red.
Total Time
2 hours, 25 minutes
Ingredients
Crust
- 6 Tbsp unsalted butter (85 grams)
- 1 1/4 cups turkey red whole grain flour (165 grams) *
- 2 tsp sugar (8 grams)
- 1/2 tsp salt (2 grams)
- 4-8 Tbsp ice water (60-120 grams)
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground mahleb **
- 1 pinch nutmeg
Filling
- 1 cup brown sugar, packed (220 grams)
- 1 Tbsp flour (8 grams)
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup milk (235 ml)
- 2/3 cup finely chopped pecans (85 grams) ***
- 1 tsp vanilla extract (4 grams) ***
- pinch of salt
- Additional pecans to decorate the top of the tart
Meringue Topping
- 2 egg whites
- 2 Tbsp sugar (25 grams)
Instructions
- This recipe is scaled to a 9.5″ tart pan. As it is written, you will have extra dough, which you can make into a mini handpie or thumbprint cookies filled with jam to be baked on the baking sheet that goes under your tart pan. Keep an eye on them in the oven as they will bake quickly.
- If you prefer to make a full size pie, the crust will fit a standard 9″ pie plate without any changes. You should multiply the filling ingredients by 1.5 to fill a pie dish.
Crust Prep and Parbaking
- Begin by grating refrigerator temperature butter onto a plate or piece of parchment paper, then put it in the freezer for at least 20 minutes.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, and spices.
- Add the cold grated butter to the dry ingredients and use your fingers to toss and coat the butter.
- Drizzle in ice water one tablespoon at a time while chopping/stirring the mixture with a bowl scraper or pastry blender.
- Press the dough down with your fist to check if it comes together. Add more ice water if not.
- When there is no dry flour, transfer the dough to a clean work surface and form it into a ball.
- Dust the dough with flour and roll it out to about 1/2-inch thickness with a rolling pin.
- Fold the dough in thirds and thirds again and form it into a disk.
- Place the dough in a closed container or wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes.
- Preheat your oven to 425°F and lightly grease your tart pan. Have a baking sheet available to go under the tart pan.
- Dust your work surface with flour and roll out the dough to 11-12 inches diameter.
- Carefully lift the dough and place it in your tart or pie pan. Press it into the pan and trim edges (crimp if making a pie).
- Place foil or parchment paper over the crust, pressing it into the shape of the crust, and add pie weights or beans.
- Place the tart pan on a baking sheet and load it into the oven.
- Bake at 425°F for 12 minutes, remove the weights and foil, dock a few times with a fork and return the crust to the oven for 5-7 minutes more.
- Remove the crust and baking sheet from the oven and drop the oven temperature to 350°F.
Filling Prep
- This can be done while the pie dough is chilling or while it is parbaking.
- In a saucepan with the stove still off, thoroughly mix together the brown sugar, flour, and eggs. Combining these items first prevents flour lumps and you don’t need to pre-whisk the eggs.
- Add the milk, chopped pecans, and vanilla extract. Turn the stove heat on low.
- Heat the mixture slowly while stirring continuously. You want to avoid a simmer, which will make scrambled eggs. The heat should be low enough that you only see steam, never bubbles, and this step should take at least 10 minutes. If you have a probe thermometer, target a final temperature of about 170-175°F. See the short video above for target thickness. If your pan is on the thin side or your stove hard to set to low heat, consider tempering the eggs into the mixture. In this scenario, bring everything except the eggs to a simmer. Turn off the heat. Then to the already beaten eggs, add 1/2 cup of the hot mixture while whisking vigorously. Repeat with another 1/2 cup of the hot mixture. Finally slowly add this back to the rest of the filling. If thin, turn the heat back on low and stir until thicker.
Tart Assembly and Baking
- Pour the filling into the crust and decorate the top with pecan halves if desired.
- Bake at 350°F for about 25 minutes for a tart and 35 minutes for a pie. Put a silicone or foil pie shield over the crust edges about 10 minutes into the bake. Bake time will vary depending on how thick you cooked the filling on the stove. Aim for the tart to bake until it is a bit inflated/domed but with a little jiggle still in the center.
- Remove from the oven and let the tart cool a bit while you prepare the meringue.
Meringue Topping
- Using a stand mixer, electric hand mixer, or whisk; beat the two egg whites on medium speed until you have soft peaks. Switch to high speed and slowly add the two tablespoons sugar until the meringue has shiny stiff peaks.
- Spread or pipe the meringue on the top of the pie/tart in the design of your choosing or covering the entire tart.
- Return it to the oven and bake another 12 minutes; or if your oven as a low-broil setting, use that for several minutes, keeping a close eye on it.
- Let cool completely and serve.
Notes
* Neat historical significance aside, you can use any flour you want for the crust. Simply add the ice water slowly to account for the different absorbency of different flours.
** Mahleb is made from the ground seeds of the St. Lucie cherry and is from the Mediterranean/Middle East, not the Great Plains. It adds vanilla-almond notes so the closest substitute would be a combination of a tiny amount of almond flour and vanilla extract. It’s okay to skip the 1/2 teaspoon mahleb, but if you can source it, you’ll find it’s a tasty addition to all sorts of baked goods.
*** The 1914 recipe calls for only 65 grams (1/2 cup) chopped pecans and does not use vanilla extract.
