Pecan Pie with Maple Cream

Make Maple Cream: whisk crème frâiche and maple syrup together until smooth, cover and refrigerate for at least a couple of hours, until thickened.

Roll pastry to fit base and sides of a 25cm flan tin.

Press gently into the tin, trim 1cm above the top of the tin, fold the excess over and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 200ºC.

Place the tin on an oven tray, prick the base of the pastry with a fork, cover with baking paper, top with dried beans (or pastry weights) and bake for 10 minutes. Discard paper and beans and bake for a further 5 minutes or so until lightly coloured.

Meanwhile, roughly chop all but 16 of the pecans.

Combine chopped pecans, egg, butter, maple syrup and sugar. Sift in flour and stir until smooth.

Remove tin from oven and reduce oven temperature to 180°C.

Pour pecan mixture over pastry, arrange whole pecans on top and return to the oven for 25-30 minutes, until firm.

Cool in the tin, then carefully lift out and slide off the base onto a platter.

Serve warm or at room temperature with Maple Cream on the side.