“Pee-can” or “Puh-kahn”, no matter how you pronounce it, pecan is a very delicious and nutritious nut ! It’s high in fibre, healthy fats, magnesium and many other vitamins and minerals. It contains quite a bit of calories though, so don’t overindulge yourself if you have to watch your calorie intake. (Yeah, I know how hard that is, especially with this yummy tart !) I originally made a pecan pie, but I just felt that a buttery and crumbly tart would work better, and with the maple syrup…..Mmmmm, just so rich, aromatic and satisfying !

I found this beautiful rectangular tart mold in a discount store a few weeks ago and it’s perfect ! At first, I was worried the tart would break cause it’s so long, but it came out really nice ! My only problem now is to resist having a second piece ! 

Makes one 4″ x 14″ rectangular or one 9″ round tart

For the tart 

• 120 g cold unsalted butter (cut into small pieces)
• 75 g granulated sugar
• 1 egg yolk
• 180 g cake and pastry flour, sifted

For the filling

• 150 g pecan halves
• 100 g demerara or brown sugar
• 40 g granulated sugar
• 2 eggs
• 80 g unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
• 40 mL maple syrup
• 5 mL pure vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch

1. To make the tart, mix together cold butter and sugar using a wooden spoon until no more lumps
2. Add egg yolk, mix until blended
3. Add flour all at once, mix with the wooden spoon, then transfer onto a table or counter and gently knead dough together (just work until ingredients are mixed in)
4. Wrap with plastic wrap, refrigerate for at least 2-3 hours or overnight
5. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350ºF
6. Knead dough until pliable
7. Roll dough out to about 1/8 inch in thickness on a floured surface, dock with a fork
8. Place inside slightly greased tart mold, trim off excess dough 
9. Bake for about 8 minutes, let cool 
10. Toast pecan in a pan without any oil over medium heat for about 5 minutes, set aside and let cool 
11. Whisk together eggs and sugars until frothy 
12. Add maple syrup, vanilla and cornstarch and melted butter, whisk until blended 
13. Stir in 1/2 of toasted pecans (try to save the better pieces to put on top later)
14. Put filling into cooled tart shell and top with remaining pecans 
    

    
15. Bake for about 40 minutes until crust is golden and filling is set
16. Cool slightly, serve warm