Brown Butter Pecan Tartlets

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •12-cup tartlet pan or twelve 3-inch individual tartlet pans
• •Food processor
• •Light-colored saucepan for brown butter
• •Pie weights or dried beans
• •Wire cooling rack

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the tart dough

   Pulse the flour, powdered sugar, and salt together in a food processor until combined. Add the cold butter cubes and pulse in short bursts until the mixture resembles coarse meal with some pea-sized pieces remaining. Those little butter chunks are what create flaky layers in your crust. Drop in the egg yolks and ice water, then pulse just until the dough starts to clump together. It should hold when you squeeze a handful but not be wet or sticky.

   If the dough feels dry and crumbly, add ice water one teaspoon at a time. The humidity in your kitchen affects how much you need.
2. 2

   Chill the dough

   Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and gather it into a flat disk about one inch thick. Wrap tightly in plastic and refrigerate for at least one hour, or overnight. Cold dough is forgiving dough. It rolls without sticking, holds its shape in the oven, and produces a tender, shatteringly crisp shell. This rest is not optional.

3. 3

   Toast the pecans

   While the dough chills, spread the pecan halves on a rimmed baking sheet and toast in a 350°F oven for eight to ten minutes, shaking the pan halfway through. You want them fragrant and a shade darker, not burnt. Toasting deepens their flavor and keeps them from turning soggy in the filling. Let them cool completely before using.

   Your nose knows when pecans are ready. When your kitchen smells warm and nutty, they are done. Walk away from that smell and you have gone too far.
4. 4

   Roll and line the tart pans

   On a lightly floured surface, roll the chilled dough to about 1/8-inch thickness. Cut rounds about one inch larger than your tartlet pans. Gently press each round into the pan, working the dough into the corners without stretching it. Stretched dough shrinks back when baked. Trim the excess with a sharp knife, leaving a small overhang. Prick the bottoms all over with a fork, then freeze the lined pans for fifteen minutes.

   If the dough gets too soft while rolling, slide it onto a baking sheet and refrigerate for ten minutes. Warm dough fights you. Cold dough cooperates.
5. 5

   Blind bake the shells

   Preheat your oven to 375°F. Line each frozen shell with a small square of parchment and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake for twelve to fifteen minutes until the edges look set and very lightly golden. Remove the weights and parchment, then bake another five to seven minutes until the bottoms are dry and pale gold. The shells should look like they could use a few more minutes. They will finish cooking with the filling.

6. 6

   Make the brown butter

   Cut the butter for the filling into tablespoon-sized pieces and place in a light-colored saucepan or skillet. A dark pan hides the color change, and color is everything here. Melt the butter over medium heat, swirling occasionally. First it will foam and sputter as the water cooks out. Then it goes quiet. Watch the milk solids on the bottom. They turn from white to golden to the color of a hazelnut. The smell shifts from buttery to deeply nutty, almost like toasting bread. The moment you see amber and smell that warmth, pull it off the heat. Pour it into a heatproof bowl immediately. It goes from brown to black in seconds.

   Brown butter is transformative but unforgiving. Stay at the stove. No checking your phone, no stepping away. Thirty seconds of inattention means starting over.
7. 7

   Build the filling

   In a large bowl, whisk the eggs until the yolks and whites are fully combined. Add the dark corn syrup, cane syrup, dark brown sugar, vanilla, and salt. Whisk until smooth, about one minute. Stream in the warm brown butter while whisking constantly. You want to incorporate it without cooking the eggs. The filling should be glossy and uniform, with tiny flecks of browned milk solids throughout. Those flecks are pure flavor.

8. 8

   Fill and top with pecans

   Reduce oven temperature to 325°F. Arrange six to eight toasted pecan halves in the bottom of each par-baked shell, flat side down. Pour the filling over the pecans, dividing it evenly among the shells. Fill to about 1/8-inch below the rim. The pecans will float up and arrange themselves into a beautiful mosaic as they bake. Trust the process.

9. 9

   Bake until just set

   Bake the tartlets for twenty-two to twenty-eight minutes. The filling is ready when the edges puff slightly and the centers jiggle like gelatin when you gently shake the pan. A slight wobble is what you want. Completely firm means overbaked. The filling continues setting as it cools, so pull them before you think they look done.

   Rotate the pan halfway through baking for even color. Ovens lie about being consistent.
10. 10

    Cool and finish

    Let the tartlets cool in their pans on a wire rack for at least thirty minutes before attempting to unmold them. The filling needs time to set up properly. Once cool, gently press the bottom of each pan to release the tartlet. Sprinkle each one with a few flakes of sea salt. That finishing salt is not decoration. It cuts the sweetness and makes every flavor sharper, brighter, more itself.

Chef Tips

• •Louisiana pecans have a sweeter, more buttery flavor than their Georgia cousins. If you can find them, they are worth seeking out.
• •Pure cane syrup is available at most Southern grocery stores or online. Steen's is the gold standard. If you cannot find it, use all dark corn syrup, but know you are missing something special.
• •The tartlets taste even better the second day. The flavors meld and the filling becomes slightly chewy at the edges. Store them at room temperature, loosely covered.
• •For a touch of Louisiana indulgence, serve with a small scoop of butter pecan ice cream or a drizzle of bourbon caramel.

Advance Preparation

• •The tart dough can be made up to three days ahead and refrigerated, or frozen for up to one month. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before rolling.
• •The shells can be blind-baked one day ahead and stored at room temperature in the pans, loosely covered.
• •Finished tartlets keep at room temperature for up to four days. Do not refrigerate, as it softens the crust.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 110g)