It’s A Sweet Life – Pecan Maple Tart

I am going to sound like the ‘Women’s Weekly’ (whom I might add I hold in high regard), but this recipe was tested 4 times, not because it was overly complex, quite the opposite it’s actually quite simple and it doesn’t require any blind baking – hurrah!! No, there was the initial test bake, then the first photoshoot bake when we forgot to top with extra pecans, on the second photoshoot attempt we just weren’t happy with the shots (we are a little fussy about these things), finally on the third attempt we remembered the pecans on top and we loved the pics!

Essentially this is a ‘frangipane’ recipe but made with ground pecans, we wanted something a little mellower in flavour to sweeten so we used coconut sugar and maple syrup. In recent times there has been much discussion around the various different types of sugars and I have a pantry full of them as a result. Depending on what I am baking I select what I believe is the best sugar for the job in terms of flavour and success of end result. I have a soft spot for coconut sugar and love its caramel like flavours. I have even tried making a ‘Pav’ with rapadura sugar (although all internet forums on the topic said it couldn’t be done), the result was delicious, although not what could be described as a true ‘Pav’. I baked it in a snap lock tin as it was impossible to get the merginue to a point of stiff peak (due to the high moisture content of the sugar); the result, a gorgeous gooey, marshmallowy texture that everyone loved. So if you haven’t tried some of these alternative sugars give them a try, they are now more readily available through supermarkets. Lastly sugar is sugar is sugar, some have more nutrients left due to minimal processing, which makes us feel good when eating a treat, but at the end of the day it’s sweet it’s a treat and that means we treat ourselves occasionally!

[dt_button size=”medium” animation=”none” icon=”” icon_align=”left” color=”” link=”/project/pecan-maple-tart/” target_blank=”true”]Pecan Maple Tart Recipe [/dt_button].