A sprinkle of salt rounds out the buttery, nutty tones of homemade caramel that does double duty in the crunchy pie filling and as a sauce for serving this lovely Salted Caramel Pecan Pie.
Salted Caramel Pecan Pie
Makes 1 (10-inch) pie
Ingredients
- 1 (14.1-ounce) package refrigerated piecrusts
- 1½ cups firmly packed light brown sugar
- Salted Caramel (recipe follows), divided
- ½ cup light corn syrup
- ⅓ cup unsalted butter, melted
- 5 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 cups pecan halves
Instructions
- On a lightly floured surface, unroll piecrusts, and stack together; roll crusts into a 14-inch circle. Press into bottom and up sides of a 10-inch cast-iron skillet. Trim piecrust to 1 inch past edges of skillet. Fold edges under and crimp as desired. Freeze until firm, about 10 minutes.
- Position oven rack in the lower third of oven. Preheat oven to 375°.
- Top crust with a piece of parchment paper, letting ends extend over edges of skillet, add pie weights. Bake for 10 minutes. Carefully remove paper and weights. Reduce oven temperature to 350°.
- Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together brown sugar, 1 cup Salted Caramel, corn syrup, melted butter, eggs, vanilla, and salt until smooth; stir in pecans. Spread mixture into piecrust.
- Bake until crust is golden brown and center is set, 50 minutes to 1 hour, loosely covering with foil halfway through to prevent excess browning, if needed. Let cool completely on a wire rack. Serve with remaining Salted Caramel.
Salted Caramel
Makes 2 cups
Ingredients
- 1½ cups sugar
- ¼ cup water
- 1½ cups heavy whipping cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- In a small enameled cast-iron Dutch oven, cook sugar and ¼ cup water over medium-low heat, stirring just until sugar is dissolved. Increase heat to medium; cook, without stirring but occasionally swirling pan, until sugar is a deep amber color, 7 to 10 minutes. (Use a small pastry brush dipped in water to lightly brush along inside of pan to dissolve any sugar crystals.)
- Remove from heat, and carefully stir in cream with a long-handled heatproof spoon or spatula. (Mixture will bubble up rapidly.) Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until caramel is smooth. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla and salt. Let cool completely before using. Cover and refrigerate for up to 1 week.
