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• Here are my rules for a really excellent pecan pie:
• 1. Toast your nuts! You must, you must. Do you want it to taste intensely like pecans, or just a caramel crunch?
• Toast your nuts
• 2. Dark brown sugar trumps light brown because more molasses, more flavor.
• 3. Golden syrup tastes amazing here, and is worth the trouble of tracking it down. (See more, below.)
• 4. If you use golden syrup, do not add more than a pinch of salt. It contains a bit of sodium, more than corn syrup, and I’ve learned the hard way.
• 5. A tiny bit of cider vinegar (trust me) really helps balance out the aching sweetness of a gooey caramel pie.
• 6. Finally, if you gild the lily (of course you do), add some chocolate: After rolling out and parbaking your crust (if desired), place it in the freezer until solid, about 15 minutes. Melt 4 ounces of semi- or bittersweet chocolate chunks with 1/4 cup heavy or whipping cream until smooth. Spread over bottom of cooled crust. Freeze the crust again until the chocolate is solid, about another 20 minutes, before pouring in pecan mixture.
• 1 1/4 cups (155 grams) all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons (6 grams) granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon (3 grams) fine sea or table salt
• 1 stick (4 ounces or 115 grams) cold unsalted butter, cut into chunks
• 1/4 cup (60 ml) very cold water, plus an additional tablespoon if needed
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 3/4 cup golden syrup (see Note up top)
• A pinch or two of sea salt
• 2 cups (225 grams) pecan halves
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon bourbon (optional)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3 large eggs