The filling was much easier to make. I whisked the ingredients together in a bowl and chopped the pecan halves into smaller pieces, which went into the unbaked crust.
The crust held together fairly well as I rolled it out and transferred it to a pie pan.
The rich and comforting flavor was very sweet and it tasted mostly like brown sugar. The crust was buttery and a bit crispy and the top was extra crunchy.
Fieri's recipe takes a helpful shortcut with store-bought crust
Instead, he opts for traditional ingredients and a sheet of store-bought, refrigerated pie crust.
The filling includes a lot of pecans chopped into different sizes
The pie was ready to pop in the oven once the crust thawed out.
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I diced a cup of pecans into a fine chop and a rough cut. I left another cup of nuts untouched for the decorative topping.
I whisked together the filling ingredients and added in the roughly-chopped pecans.
I rolled out the crust and pressed it into a pie pan. Despite buying a 9-inch crust, it didn't cover my pan so I couldn't neatly press it into a crimped design.
I baked it uncovered for about 10 minutes. After the crust cooled, I added the finely-chopped pecans to the bottom.
I poured in the filling and arranged the whole pecans on top.
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It needed to sit in the oven for another 40 to 50 minutes, so I covered it with foil to prevent it from burning.
The topping looked great but the store-bought crust didn't work out
The arrangement on top was a really nice touch. The crust, unfortunately, was overbaked and wasn't thick enough for the hefty filling.
The filling was very gooey and sweet, so the crunchiness from the pecans made a great contrast.
The pecans on top tasted somewhat acrid because they weren't covered in the sugary filling.
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I'd swap in an easy, homemade crust instead of store-bought, and I'd probably leave off the nuts on top.
I was surprised there wasn't any sugar in this recipe but there were a whopping 2 1/2 cups of pecans.
I made Garten's crust with a food processor, and it turned out amazing
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I started by pulsing the food processor a few times to mix the dry ingredients, then butter and vegetable shortening until it looked like small pebbles.
I poured in cold water until the dough formed a ball. Then I put it on a floured board, rolled it, and wrapped it in plastic wrap. It sat in the fridge for about 30 minutes.
Like the other recipes, the filling was easy to make — although it required a long list of ingredients.
Once the wet ingredients were whisked together, I mixed in pecans.
The dough was easy to roll out and didn't fall apart. I seamlessly transferred it from the board to the pan.
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The edges were easy to crimp, too.
I poured in the filling and baked the pie for about 40 minutes. I added foil to prevent the edges from burning, then put it back in the oven for 15 minutes.
This pie reminded me of an old-fashioned cocktail and I loved the crust
I couldn't wait to try this delicious-smelling pie. I cut into this pie when it was warm, so it fell apart.
The filling reminded me of an old-fashioned cocktail thanks to the bourbon and orange zest. The maple and honey were also welcome additions.
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This pie had the best crust I've ever made. It was buttery and so easy to prepare, so it will be a go-to crust recipe for me.
This filling had the most pecans of all the recipes, but I think a cup and a half would have worked out better.
Garten's recipe didn't quite hit that classic pecan-pie flavor I was expecting.
I loved all the pies but Drummond's was my favorite
Garten's crust turned out amazing and I loved the unique flavors she added.
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Although I wasn't happy with the crust on the pie I made using Fieri's recipe, the filling was enjoyable. Drummond's recipe was my favorite of the bunch. The crust wasn't as delicious or flaky as Garten's, but I did like it a lot.
In the future, I would combine Garten's crust and Drummond's filling to create my ideal pie.
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