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For the shortcut pastry:
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Preheat oven to 180u00b0C (350u00b0F). You will need a 23cm (9 inch) pie dish.
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In a large mixing bowl, rub butter into flour with your hands until you have what resembles fine crumbs. Stir in sugar, almond extract (optional) and egg yolk. Add ice water and mix until pastry comes together and can be formed into a ball. You don't want it too wet or too dry, so add extra flour or water accordingly.
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Place the ball of pastry into a sealable plastic bag and let it rest in the fridge for 20 minutes. Roll the pastry out on a clean, floured surface. You want it to be about 2mm thick.
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Line pie dish with the pastry then place a piece of wax proof paper over the pastry and weigh it down with some rice or raw beans. Bake the pastry for 10-12 minutes. Remove the paper and bake for another 5 minutes until light golden. Remove from the oven and set aside.
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For the filling:
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Place pears in a medium saucepan with enough water to almost cover the pears, and gently simmer for 15 minutes until tender. Drain and dry the pears with kitchen paper.
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Melt butter, brown sugar and syrup in a saucepan until no granules remain, then boil for 2 minutes. Pour in 2/3 of the cream and simmer for 4 minutes. Add remaining cream, stir and remove from heat. Cool for 12 minutes before beating in eggs and pecans.
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Spoon the mixture into the baked pastry case. Add pears in a circle design (fat side at the edges, thin side to the middle). Bake for 30 minutes until the top looks set but still a little wobbly. Cool for at least 20 minutes before serving.
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Serve with whipped cream or ice cream and enjoy!
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Notes:
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1. Work fairly quickly with the shortcrust pastry, as the aim is to keep all the ingredients as cold as possible which gives the pastry a nice flaky texture! (You can use storebought crust if you're pushed for time.)
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2. This recipe can be used to make mini pecan pie tarts and pecan bars!
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3. For a fun variation, try this pie with walnuts and apples.
