Pecan Cream Pie

"That base is jammed full of chopped pecans, but the real secret ingredient is a dollop of sour cream. The tart dairy works twofold: first, helping to prevent crystallization, and second, keeping the pie from becoming overly sweet. A bigger dollop of sour cream goes into the whipped topping, giving it noticeable tang. This is another point of flavor balance, but it also stabilizes it, so that it doesn't weep or dissolve on your Thanksgiving buffet."

"A few tricks get you to the multiple layers in as little time as possible. First, you'll mix up most of the filling for the pecan layer, then steal about 1 Tbsp. of it to toss with the butter-toasted nuts for the topping. (You can make the candied pecans up to 3 days ahead.) As for those buttered nuts: Once they're out of the pan, feel free to whip up the custard in the same pan (which can be done up to 2 days ahead)."

The pie features a pecan-filled brown sugar custard base topped with a tangy, stabilized sour-cream whipped layer and crunchy candied pecans. A dollop of sour cream in the filling prevents crystallization and tempers excessive sweetness. Adding extra sour cream to the whipped topping provides noticeable tang and stabilizes the cream to prevent weeping on a buffet. A tablespoon of the filling is reserved and tossed with butter-toasted nuts to make the topping. Candied pecans can be made up to three days ahead, and the custard can be cooked in the same pan up to two days ahead, enabling the pie to be assembled in an afternoon.

Read at Epicurious