Recipes from professional Chef Tallyrand:

PECAN PIE

Bob, Bob!

A major sunspot is making for some surreal sunsets here, with a green tinge on the horizon. I am hoping for some true displays of the 'Southern Lights' this weekend, so I am sleeping during the day and staying up all night to view this spectacle if it occurs.

We are having a late summer here in New Zealand, which is resulting in some wonderfully sweet late summer fruits, plus the usual autumn fruits coming into season. Which means a glut of feijoas will not be far away. This wonderful green fruit that originates from South America, while sweet has a delicious tartness to it and is terrific for making jam, chutney, crumbles, replacing apples in your favourite recipe or just as an eating fruit.

Many thanks for all your emails asking me about various tarts or flans to cover this week and what actually constitutes as tart, flan and pie. Tarts and flans are one of the same thing; they are defined as a pastry case filled with either a sweet or savoury filling that have no top crust. A dish in similar vein with a top crust is a pie. Flans are generally large and cut into portions. Tarts may be large or single servings; in which case they are referred to as tartlets.

By far the most requested recipe was for a tart with nuts. So this week is a recipe for what is often called pecan pie, though it is in actual fact a tart or flan as it has no pastry crust top. If pecans are not your favourite nut, try this recipe and replace with walnuts, macadamias or what ever you choose. Serve this with a little whipped cream, clotted cream or you're a scoop of your favourite ice cream or frozen yoghurt . . . delicious and delectable !

I am more than happy to share with you my personal favourites, but prefer to hear from readers as to what recipes you would like to see appear each week. So don't be shy . . . email me and let me know.

Ingredients for Pecan Pie

eggs	3	pc
black treacle	100	gm
golden syrup	50	gm
flour	40	gm
butter	60	gm
pecan nuts	250	gm
salt		sq
vanilla essence		sq
tart/flan case (baked blind)	1	pc

How to make Pecan Pie

1. In a pan slightly warm the treacle, butter and the golden syrup
2. Stir in the nuts, salt and the vanilla essence
3. Mix in the eggs and then the sifted flour
4. Pour into the blind baked tart shell
5. Bake in a moderate oven at 200ºC for 20 - 25 minutes
6. Cool and serve

Chef's Tip for Pecan Pie

See last week's recipe for the sweet pastry to make the tart / flan case

Enjoy and bon appetit . . . . .

Published 02 April 2001