Here is a gooey, oozy, candy bar–like pecan pie that benefits
greatly from two ingredients that go well with pecans: orange zest
and lemon zest. Those of you who frown upon using a frozen
piecrust can use Sara Moulton’s or Gary Danko’s recipe for
making your own. But the filling here is really the star of the
show. In fact, my friend Ameer, who normally hates pecan pie,
said this pie converted him. He went back for a second piece.
1 prepared piecrust, store-bought or homemade
1 cup Karo light corn syrup
1½ cups sugar
A pinch of kosher salt
3 large eggs
¼ cup melted unsalted butter (4 tablespoons)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon grated orange zest (optional)
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest (optional)
1½ cups whole pecan halves
Whipped cream or vanilla ice cream, for serving
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place the prepared piecrust on an
aluminum foil–lined cookie sheet and set aside.
In a large bowl, stir together the corn syrup, sugar, salt, eggs,
butter, vanilla, and, if you’re using them, the orange and lemon
zests. Once that’s homogeneous, add the pecans and make sure
they’re all coated.